


The Merciful Assassin

by ErrolsFeather



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Assassins & Hitmen, F/F, Family Feels, Family Fluff, First Kiss, First Love, Friendship, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-09-28 18:54:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20430800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErrolsFeather/pseuds/ErrolsFeather
Summary: Alternative Universe StoryRegina is an assassin by heart, trained by her adoptive mother Maleficent, while Emma is an up and coming police detective. They have a chance meeting that leads to them living a life full of intrigue secrets, love and lies in the most unlikely places. What will happen when the three of them are forced to choose between the matters of the heart and the job they love the most.





	1. A Grim Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note 1: Thank you to GabrielleRose for being the beta on this, Laurathechef84 for helping me out along the way, and to NightWriter84 for keeping me sane during this whole process. And also the other SQ writers I talked thought, I couldn’t done with without you. 
> 
> Author’s Note2 : This has been one of the most challenging stories I have ever written. I started working on this years back and decided to finish it for SQSN, so I really hope whoever you that end up reading it enjoy it as much as I have. I may continue this in one of more stories later one. 
> 
> Author’s Note3: I listened a lot to Locked Away, tropical house remix when I wrote and edited it, and it became a red tread though the story. I even considered calling it that at one point.

The Mericiful Assassin 

Chapter 1 A Grim Beginning 

Maleficent Drake had not always been an assassin, a coldblooded killer, or so much she assumed. It was just hard to remember her life before she became an assassin; all she knew was that when she met Regina Mills everything changed.

It had all started one rainy afternoon, more precisely a week before Halloween. The young woman was at the building, looking over at the Rockefeller Center keeping an eye on Jaqueline Carlyle’s husband. He was an industrial leader, and his wife hated being in the marriage with him for many reasons, or so Maleficent assumed. Why else would the woman have contacted her handler? She was the one they wanted when someone important needed to be killed or in some cases tortured, because she was the best and she left no trace. In fact, she wasn’t all that easy to find either. Still she didn’t ask why her clients wanted someone killed, she simply did the job for the money.

The young woman planned to take the kill shot later the very same night, when he was on his way home from the office. She was just keeping a look out at him to be on the safe side. Right now, he had a meeting with some business associates by the looks of it. She knew by information she had gotten from his secretary the meeting was unlikely to end before 4 pm, so she decided to go and get herself a coffee and then come back up. She was just glad she had found an empty apartment so she could keep an eye on her present kill without too much fuzz.

Walking towards a nearby coffee shop she heard a small voice say, “Excuse me?”

The blonde looked down at a younger girl with dark hair, and shining brown eyes. The young girl held a note in her hand as she looked up at her. She looked rather young for her age, which Maleficent assumed to be seven.

“Yes,” the ash-blonde woman said, looking at her with confused eyes.

“Are you by any chance Maleficent Drake?” asked the young girl.

“D’pends on who wants to know,” Maleficent said, looking back at the young girl, wondering what she wanted with her, not to mention how and where she had gotten her information.

“Regina, my name is Regina Mills, and I brought money and everything. I searched around to find someone else, which is really hard, but someone recommended you. I planned to kill him myself, but I have seen you around. At least I think you are her, or so I hope,” Regina looked at her with hopeful eyes, holding up a small pile of bills and some coins.

“Wow, kid. First of all you thought about an assassin to kill someone. I get you hate your parents, but isn’t that taking a bit too far? And secondly that is hardly enough for a job like that,” Maleficent said in a very serious tone. She found it concerning that a girl so young would go to the extreme length of killing someone.

“Oh I guess I have to find someone else then,” there was nothing but disappointment in Regina’s young voice. Mal had seen this many times before, defeat.

“Listen, Regina, I have some time to spare. Why don’t you tell me why you want to kill your parents? If I find the reason valid, I will do it for free,” Mal said in a serious tone.

“You will?” the hope was back in the young voice, and shone clearly in her brown eyes. Maleficent couldn’t help but to find it adorable. Who could it be that had hurt her so gravely that she needed to kill them? A girl like this should be playing somewhere with her friends, not meeting up with people like her.

“Yes, I just hope you won’t waste my time,” said Maleficent, continuing to walk towards the coffee shop.

The young girl easily kept up saying, “It is not my mother or my father, it’s my guardian Mister. Gold. My parents…they died in a car accident a couple of years ago, but mother appointed Gold as legal guardian if anything should happen to them. He is supposed to care for me and my inheritance, but he is not a very nice man.”

Her eyes fell on a window of a nearby bookshop. Her father’s library was one of the reasons why she hadn’t run away from Mister Gold

“What does he do to you?” Maleficent needed to know. She could feel her anger grow inside her over the fact someone would hurt the young girl, she just hoped it wasn’t as bad as she feared. All things considered the young girl seemed well dressed and well feed.

“He uses their money to live like a king, but he also hurts me, when I don’t do as he pleases. He does worse if I mention my parents, and I am not allowed to use to internet for school or talk to my friends, and he…he sold my horse. I am sure he would have bedded me if I was older or if it had not been for his young wife. I am scared that one day he will kill me for the money,” she whispered, tears sprang from her eyes.

“I see,” Maleficent contemplated, before she asked, “Can I see the damage he has caused on your body if we go into a bathroom stall?”

She opened the door to the coffee shop and Regina went inside. She quietly walked towards the ladies’ room with the older woman. Once inside the stall Regina with some doubt removed her jacket and black top and pulled down her black jeans, revealing multiple cuts and bruises all over. Some newer, some older seeming to scar by the looks of it. Regina didn’t know why she should even trust this stranger to have a look at her scars, still she did. It was something deep inside her that told her it was the right thing to do, that she would never hurt her, that she was okay. To Maleficent it was a miracle the girl stood up and was able to function at all. The anger inside her grew as did the hatred for the young girl’s guardian. The assassin looked closer at the many marks on the young body, knowing this girl deserved better, much better.

Regina looked away as Maleficent let her fingers caress over her wounds. The ash-blonde woman could tell by the looks of it some of them needed medical attention. The young woman took a deep breath, “I have seen and heard enough. I will go outside so you can get dressed.”

The young brunette came back out joining her seconds later, head towards the ground as she whispered, “I am ugly I know.”

“I don’t ever want to hear you say that again, my dear. You are beautiful, inside out. You just remember to hold your posture, chin and eyes up like you own the world,” Maleficent said with a wink.

The young girl straightened her posture, and held her head high, looking very serious saying, “Like this?”

“Yes,” Maleficent said with a pleased smile. She didn’t know why but it was something about this youngling that made her heart melt. If she had ever had children she would have wanted them to be just like Regina. Sadly, fate had played some cruel tricks on her in that department.

“So, will you help me?” Regina wondered, feeling a little better.

“I will, but you need to be out of the house that night, and I need a way to contact you,” said Maleficent, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

“I have an email, but you probably don’t use that because it can be traced, I have locker at my school! It’s the number 131 on it; you can slide notes in there, telling me where to meet or something,” said Regina, adding, “You can say you are my aunt if anyone asks.”

“I suppose I can do that, but now I really have to get my coffee and get back. I just need one more thing, Gold’s first name what is it?” said Maleficent, getting in line to get her coffee.

“Rex Sebastian, he is a lot in the paper,” said Regina with a bright smile, before she left as quietly as she had come, simply slipped out and headed back home Maleficent assumed.

* * *

Not soon after Maleficent was back up in the tall building with her coffee dialing a number. It rang twice before she got a voice at the end saying, “Hello, darling, how are you?”

“Busy as always, Ella, I seem to have a small problem and I was hoping to get your advice on the subject,” said Maleficent with a heavy sigh.

“Don’t tell me you are planning to marry another man like good old Charlie. We all know what happened to him, dear,” Ella taunted her friend at the other end of the phone.

“No, I was more thinking of raising a child and in time teach her to become like myself. Would that be a good idea?” said Maleficent calmly.

“It wouldn’t be the worst idea, but may I ask where you plan to get the child?” Ella wondered with a bit a curiosity.

“Well earlier today a young girl came up to me asking me that I kill her guardian. She of course offered me a nice sum of money, not nearly enough for what I do. Such a naive little dear…In any case she needs someone to care for her if I take him out. I have checked up and he is one of the men this planet could live without you know. I think he even may have had a finger in the accident that killed her parents, but I need to look into it a bit further. I however, am wondering if I take this child under my wing, it wouldn’t be a good idea to let her know the real me quite yet, so I would need a double personality. Is that something you or maybe Vanessa could help me with?” Maleficent wondered.

“I am sure we can come up with something. When do you need it and for what city?” Ella questioned.

“I need it all within three days, id card, bank records, driver’s license, and so on, and I am in New York,” said Maleficent calmly.

“A challenge but it will be done, shall I drop it off in the regular deposit box?” Ella wondered.

“Of course, and the name on it all Maria Davenport,” said Maleficent in a serious tone.

“I somehow see you more like a Margaret would that be okay?” Cruella asked her friend.

“Of course, got to go, I will check the box in three days alright,” said Maleficent and hung up without as much as a goodbye. She knew her friends would do this and make it believable. They were good in their trade of forgeries, they had had double lives for years. She on the other hand tended to change aliases if she needed to board a plane or a boat to go somewhere. She better to be careful. The assassin wrote a small note, making sure to wear plastic gloves to not leave fingerprints just in case. Then she put in an envelope telling Regina where to meet her the next day, giving her two options in cases she had classes at the time.

She would drop it off after her job was done the very same night; it was safer that way. She wrote some things on her laptop, storing it on her email, looking through the window again. Afternoon was slowly turning to evening; it was time to strike.

* * *

Regina was a little surprised to find a note from Maleficent early the next morning, mostly because the school was locked at night. Still she was glad to see it, it gave her some sense of safety. She opened the envelope like it had been a bomb inside and pulled up the folded note that read**_, “Dear Regina, I was hoping you could meet me at same place you found me yesterday at 2pm or inside the nearby bookstore at 5pm. I have something I would like you to discuss with you. It might help your situation. Remember to not let anyone get to you, you are much stronger than you think, my dear. M.D. _**

She folded it and put in the envelope just as she heard her friend Ruby say, “What was that?”

“A note from a friend, nothing to worry about, but will you tell Miss. Gray I will be absent from the history class. Find an excuse please,” Regina said, grabbing some books from her locker.

“I can do that, but you will still be coming to my house for dinner right?” the other brunette said, her long brown hair was in a neat ponytail. She like Regina was wearing their standard uniform. White shirt and stockings with, dark purple skirt and blazer and a grey and purple necktie.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss granny’s lasagna for the world, we gotto hurry or we will be late for homeroom,” Regina rolled her eyes lightly, it was one of her least favorite subjects.

“Awesome, I think she is going to back a chocolate pie for dessert. She cleared it with Gold and she will drive you home, so you will be at your house between seven and eight tonight,” said she as they meet up with a boy named Archie, another of their friends.

“Can hardly wait! Reminding me can you ask Granny if I can sleep over Friday night, I really wanna have some fun in the weekend and I heard Gold was going to take his wife out for dinner and such, I don’t want to be a bother,” Regina said.

“I will ask. Hi Archie, you’re late today, everything alright?” Ruby asked the redheaded boy.

“Yeah, just my baby brother needed changing last minute, he just had to poop just then so mom had to change his diaper,” Archie wrinkled his nose so his glasses jumped a bit further down on his nose.

“I wish I had siblings,” said Regina thoughtfully.

“You can have my brother if you want,” Archie said, wrinkling his nose again, making them both laugh as they hurried towards their classroom not to be late.

* * *

The young brunette hurried as fast as she could to find the hit-woman later that day. It felt weird to think about; she knew she indeed had to be crazy meeting with her, or at least so it felt. She took a deep breath wondering if it was the right thing to do. Even if someone else killed Gold, the blood would be forever on her hands. She sat down on a bench near the Rockefeller center, wishing her parents still were alive. Her mother was probably not the best in the world, but she had loved her, Regina somehow knew.

She often wished she was still there, even her harsh corrections was more than welcome over Mister. Gold’s lashings. Tears, as small hands clung around a locked around her neck, pictures of her parents inside so she could never forget them. She still had her daddy’s shirt near her bed, even though it didn’t smell like him anymore. It made her feel like he was still there, it gave her sense of safety.More tears followed down her cheeks after the first as she heard a male voice say, “Why so sad sweetheart? Maybe I can cheer you up.”

“You won’t come near her,” Maleficent’s voice sounded, before Regina could look up. He let out a huff and carried on. Maleficent on the other hand sat down next to her and asked, “Bad day at school?”

“No, it was good, I just thought about my parents, I miss them so,” she whispered, bursting into a line of soft sobs.

The otherwise seemingly cold assassin carefully pulled Regina into her grasp, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, whispering, “It will be alright I promise.”

“Not while he is still there, not while I am not allowed to remember,” Regina protested as more sobs followed.

“He won’t be for much longer, but I need to ask you a couple of things,” said Maleficent in a serious tone, her fingers playing with Regina’s dark hair.

“Alright?” Regina looked at her with teary eyes. It broke Maleficent’s heart.

“Am I right to understand that you like school and your friends?” the young woman asked.

“I do, I am going to sleep over at Ruby’s house on Friday so I am out of the house like you asked. We are probably going watch movies and eat hot chocolate with marshmallows,” said Regina excitedly.

“That sounds like fun, so you would like to live here even with Gold gone, finish school, maybe get an education?” Maleficent asked calmly.

“Uh huh, I love my house, even if it sometimes makes me sad,” she explained.

“I can understand that. You see I was thinking maybe instead of you get taken away from your home and your friends, maybe I could live there and take care of you, but that requires that you don’t tell anyone what I _really_ do for a living, because that could cause problems. If you promise to do that and if you want to, I might be able to teach you my trade,” Maleficent said, still calm. She knew that was a lot to ask from someone so young.

“I can do that, but could I have my friends over? Gold won’t let me,” Regina said, biting her lower lip from insecurity.

“Of course, but not too late on school nights,” Maleficent said with a small chuckle.

“Awesome, you are the greatest ever,” Regina hugged her tight, for the first time in the past time feeling real happiness. She really hoped that this woman could do what she said so she could still live in her house.


	2. Chapter 2 Milestones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically shows a little of how Maleficent rose Regina over the years.

** _Chapter 2 Milestones_ **

Regina never learned the full extent to how Gold died, she only knew that Maleficent was her new guardian and she would handle the money until she was of legal age. She also knew that she would continue to live in the house. As time slowly passed it seemed like Maleficent had always been there. If she happened to go out to do her regular job Regina stayed over with Archie or Ruby. On a daily basis Maleficent worked as a secretary for a law firm. It also happened over the years that they got frequent visits from Maleficent’s friends Ella and Vanessa. Regina loved that as Ella always brought her dogs so she could play with them. They were very well trained too so they could sleep in her bedroom if she stayed overnight. Vanessa was fun too. She used to make up tales about fallen kingdoms, great battles and magical creatures.

It wasn’t until Regina was in her early teens that she learned that Maleficent and Ella were more than friends. She didn’t mind though as her auntie Mal seemed ever so happy when she was around. Ella even got Regina a Pointer that could help her when she was out deer hunting. Regina was nine the first time she used a rifle, and ten the first time she actually managed to kill a deer. Maleficent couldn’t have been prouder of the girl she by now considered to be her daughter. They even took the animal apart together and Maleficent taught Regina about the different uses of the meat. Regina had smiled all the way home telling her about how great it was to take down the animal. She also praised her dog Lucky Charm that had helped her do so.

Maleficent was also there for some of Regina’s big milestones. Her first sleepover, Regina had been over the moon with excitement that her friends could spend the night. Her first period, where Regina had freaked out and thought she was bleeding to death. Her first time of skipping school to go check out boys at the mall, of course that was Ruby’s idea. Both girls were grounded. Her first detention, Regina had given someone a bloody nose for bullying Archie. Her first heartache, Daniel the best guy in the world and his family was moving to another state, Regina didn’t stop crying for weeks. Her first time to get a perfect shoot at the rink, Maleficent knew it to be one of her proudest moments as a parent for the young girl. She had even framed the paper with bullet holes for Regina to have in her room.

* * *

Her first kill, that would always be a treasured memory for them both. Her first scary movie. Regina didn’t sleep for days after, not that she would ever admit to that. Maleficent however knew that Regina was terrified that Freddie Kruger would haunt her in her dreams. And while all this was going on Maleficent still found time to do her first job, she even told Regina about it at times, when the killings weren’t too grizzly.

When Regina was eighteen, she asked when her first kill would be, clearly the girl that grew up hunting deer, wanted to help her auntie with her job. Maleficent then taught her the lessons of different tools in the job, her job. She said most assassins chose a favorite weapon, and stuck to that and two other methods, but she had more. She wanted to know what Regina’s chosen weapon would be. Regina had thought about it for a long time and told her, hunting rifle with unmarked bullets, poison and a dagger. Because if it was one thing Regina was good at it was chemistry. She hoped to help to cure diseases someday. Maleficent could only see the irony in that. Still the girl packed her hunting rifle and dagger as Mal said she could come with her. That night Regina killed the first human in her life, but it was only what she did after that surprised Maleficent. The young girl that had taken the kill shot from quite a distance, making sure no one would see the man as he fell, found a way to go to him, and close his eyes, saying a prayer so his soul would be forgiven and go to heaven. She even put his wallet close, so it was easy for whoever found him to call his next of kin. In an odd way it was like Regina showed compassion for her victim and Mal couldn’t help but to find it admirable. Of course, the older woman made sure it couldn’t be traced back to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter, I would love to hear your thoughts :o)


	3. Chapter 3 How do you know what is right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Regina meets Emma at an airport bar she starts to question her lifestyle and choices, and Maleficent wonder if it was right to bring Regina into 'her world'.

** _Chapter 3 How do you know what is right? _ **

Regina couldn’t have been happier when she in time got a residency at a nearby hospital to work in their lab. However, she soon learned that it was a bit more than fun working there and some of her staff talked about a dying patient. It was then Regina took it upon herself to find a poison that could not be traced to help them out of their misery. It was only fair; why should they suffer and not get well?

That was one of the things she was wondering about when she came home from work one late evening. Maleficent was watching TV with Ella who was visiting at the time. Regina tossed her purse at the dresser in the hallway with a heavy thump. She took her shoes off and made her way to her room on the second floor. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone right then even ignored her dog, Lucky Charm. He looked after his owner with sad eyes, making a little yelp.

Downstairs Maleficent looked at her girlfriend saying, “I sense trouble.”

“I told you it may not have been a good plan to bring her into your life,” Ella said with a sigh.

“No, I believe you said it wasn’t the worst idea,” said Maleficent, a text popping into her work phone. Another prey, the former head of the FBI. Urgent it seemed. High profiled as well, meaning she had to be extra careful. A deep breath as she made her way upstairs knocking on the door to the room of her twenty-thee year old adoptive daughter.

“Yes,” a voice came from inside.

“May I enter?” Maleficent asked politely.

“Do as you wish,” Regina said in an annoyed tone.

Maleficent took a deep breath and braced herself before going inside. She found Regina by her desk seemingly doing research. The older woman calmly said, “Listen, I got a job, and it’s dangerous, so I just wanted to say that I love you in case I don’t come back.”

“Let me do it,” Regina pleaded, she could use a break from her life.

“Not this one, my dark raven,” said Maleficent in a loving tone.

“Why not, I do have plenty of expertise, besides if something happens to you I will be the one to take over the family trade, please mam…Mal,” Regina quickly corrected herself.

“Did you just say mom?” Maleficent felt her eyes water with happiness.

“I might have,” Regina shrugged it off like it was nothing.

“Hmm, maybe we can go together, you could use the experience, how does that sound, raven?” Mal gave her a small smile.

“Wonderful, when do we leave?” Regina wondered, her dark eyes shining with excitement.

“The plane leaves at six tomorrow morning, but I plan to be at the airport at four, so be ready to leave at two, we are going to be gone for four days so you better clear it with your work and pack only what is much needed,” Maleficent instructed.

“Of course, I know the drill,” said Regina with a nod giving her adoptive mother with a hug before running to find her small suitcase and the camouflage to get her rifle with her on the plane.

* * *

Maleficent walked back downstairs, sinking down on the couch knowing this was not a good plan. Ella looked at her lover with concerned eyes asking, “You are bringing her, aren’t you?”

“She called me mom, that is the first time ever, and I know she needs a break right now, or she might do something irrational,” said Maleficent with a heavy sigh.

“Hmm, come here,” Ella opened her arms so Maleficent could snuggle up in them, the distraction of some tongue action was more than needed in that moment. Especially since she didn’t know if she would return. Then again neither did they know when were at their real jobs. She felt Ella cup a breast and let out a moan, whispering, “We don’t have the time.”

“Make it,” Ella whispered in a demanding way into her ear. Maleficent didn’t argue, not because she couldn’t, but at that moment she needed her lover and so she would rather indulge in her.

* * *

It was later that night that Regina found herself in a bar at the airport. Or maybe more early morning, they had come there closer to 2 am, and now Mal was sleeping near their hand luggage on a bench not far away. Regina eyed her from time to time with a soft smile. She worked too much she knew. The brunette ordered another glass of white wine as she went over some papers Maleficent had shared with her. It was the detailed plan of where their pray would be, and now she was playing the game ‘where it was best to strike without being seen’. It was a game they had played since Regina was young; to calculate where there were most guards, where it was easier to shoot a bullet from nearby without being seen, could you get close enough to kill the prey without anyone seeing you and so on.

She made some small notes on the side of the paper when she heard another female voice ask, “May I offer you another glass as yours is soon empty?”

Regina looked up only to see a blonde looking at her with hopeful green eyes. She looked a little younger than herself and cocky. Regina sighed and said, “I don’t think you are old enough I am afraid.”

“I never said I would buy you wine, now did I?” the other woman said with a shrug.

“Cute,” Regina countered a bit amused.

“So wherever going on business or pleasure?” the other woman wondered curiously.

“Business, I am travelling with my mother,” Regina gestured towards the sleeping Maleficent.

“I see beauty runs in the family,” the blonde spoke as she thought Maleficent looked too young to have a daughter around Regina’s age.

“She is my adoptive mother. My parents they got killed when I was quite young, alas my mothers, both biological and adoptive are and were beautiful,” Regina countered. She felt a small sting talking about her biological mother. She still missed her parents from time to time.

“I see, I am sorry for your loss I didn’t mean to overstep anything,” the blonde spoke, meaning every word.

“It is quite alright, Miss?” Regina questioned, as the blonde had yet to introduce herself.

“Miss Swan, but you can call me Emma,” said Emma and extended her hand.

“Regina Mills,” said the brunette and shook it lightly.

“So work huh, what kind of work?” Emma wondered.

“If I told you I would have to kill you,” Regina said with a soft laugh, knowing it wasn’t far from the truth.

“If that is the case I shall not ask again. I am having my last fun vacation before joining the police academy myself,” Emma said, adding, “My parents got killed before I was born, and I want to help other children experience the same fate. I do however want to move up the ranks in time.”

“I think that is admirable of you, Miss. Swan, I really do,” said Regina with a genuine smile. She couldn’t help to find the blonde cute, as she was smiling ever so proudly. There was just something about her attitude that made her seem so carefree, something the brunette had long since forgotten. Regina emptied her glass, before saying, “I would like to take you up on that drink you offered, a glass of sparkling water, please.”

“Alright, barkeep some sparkling water for the lady and a diet coke for myself,” Emma said. Their drinks arrived and Emma quickly paid before they continued their conversation. 

“So you said it was your last fun vacation, where are you going and with who?” Regina wondered curiously.

“I am going with my friend Mary Margaret and her boyfriend David so I am kind of third wheel, but they are hoping I will hook up with someone once we come to Brazil,” Emma rolled her eyes, wondering why she found it so easy talking to this stranger.

“Hmm you don’t hook up with strangers, yet you are buying me a drink,” Regina raised her brows a little. In her eyes and experience a drink seldom came without further commitment. 

* * *

“It’s just a drink by a bar can be just that, a hook up is always messy if you get what I mean,” said Emma with a heavy sigh. She wanted to hook up with this woman though, really badly, but she knew her chances were slim, so she settled for her company.

“I get what you mean, but to tell you the truth the furthest I have ever been with anyone is heavy kissing,” Regina looked down feeling stupid about it. It was just with her two occupations being with someone seemed to be impossible.

“Hmm it’s too bad we are going in different directions,” Emma said, thinking before she added, “How about this if we ever meet again no matter where in the world we agree to go all the way if only for a night. I mean if you still haven’t you know and you want to.”

“The odds of us meeting again is astronomical you know that, right?” Regina had to point out, adding, “Not to mention if we ever do chances are our appearances can have changed.”

“Appearances yes, but not identification. Or we can always exchange something personal and give it back when we meet, that way we would know for sure,” Emma suggested.

“So, if I gave you say a ring and we never meet again it will be lost forever?” Regina wondered, even if she was intrigued by the idea.

“Well that is the risk, but what is life without risks, and maybe if we are to meet again we are meant to be,” Emma said and smiled brightly at her.

“Alright officer Swan, I shall take this leap of fate for the fun of it,” said Regina with a sigh. She carefully let her hands slip around her neck removing a sliver cross she always had there. It was a gift from Maleficent, as she had seen Regina’s mother wear a similar one in a photo. Regina soon fastened it around Emma’s neck saying, “Don’t lose it, it is precious to me.”

“I promise I won’t,” Emma said as she let her hands go around her own neck, removing the necklace she always had on. A golden ring hanging on to it. She gently hung it around Regina’s neck saying, “It brings good luck, always.”

“Thank you for trusting me with it, and for the water, if you excuse me I need to use the bathroom,” Regina said, as she truly did.

“Alright, until we meet again,” Emma said, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek, before letting her go.

Regina looked around for her when she returned but there was no sight of her at the busy airport. She could still feel flutters inside from the kiss on her cheek. She walked over to Maleficent, gently nudging her. Maleficent opened her blue eyes and looked around confused before remembering where she was. She looked at Regina that seemed to be toying with a necklace she had never before seen around her neck.

“What is the matter, my dark raven?” Maleficent asked, slowly coming to life.

“How do you know auntie Ella is the one you are meant to be with? I mean there are so many other people out there?” Regina asked, looking at her with wondering eyes.

“Well she and I have been together since before I came into this occupation, she doesn’t ask questions because she knows I can’t share and I love her for it. Just like I don’t ask her about what she does, which in case you didn’t know is smuggling of animals and selling things within the fur industry. We both know there is a chance we can get caught so we live in the moment, supporting each other in any way we can. I just feel complete when I am with her, safe, like nothing can harm me, that she understands me and accepts my flaws like I accept hers and I know no matter what happens she will stand by my side as will I by hers. She is one of the strongest persons I know and I know I couldn’t gotten this far without her. On some level I knew when I meet her long ago it would always be us against the world, if that makes sense,” said Maleficent, looking out in the air with dreamy eyes, she really did love her Ella in every way.

“It does,” said Regina with a quiet nod.

“You want to tell me why you are asking me this all of a sudden, did something happen while I slept?” the older woman inquired.

“A woman younger than me asked me for a drink at the bar and we talked a little, she was going on vacation with some friends and they wanted her to hook up and she didn’t. I could tell she wanted me and it gave me a thrill inside, which has never happened before, at least not that strongly. She was going to another place than us, but we agreed that should our paths cross in the future and I am still a…virgin we will go all the way. To be sure it is each other we exchanged our jewelry. And this is all so stupid as a, I am never going to see her again and b, she is becoming a police officer,” Regina finished rambling.

“Please tell me you didn’t give her your real name, never matter nothing will come up other than you work at the hospital in best case,” Maleficent reasoned with herself. It was not like the two were listed in the information sites under their code names.

“To be fair my name is not that original and I didn’t tell her what I did if I should care to look, which I am sure she probably wouldn’t because then it wouldn’t be a mystery. She would probably just hope we run into each other again…”Regina stopped, looking over at the empty stool where Emma had sat not long ago.

“Regina?” Maleficent said in a soft tone.

“I just felt this connection I can describe, and as I said it is all so stupid. I am best to ignore it and just go on with my life,” the brunette shook her head, yawning a little.

“Why don’t you try to sleep a little, my dark raven, I will watch over you and our things,” said Maleficent, stroking her hair gently. Something she rarely did anymore considering Regina was now a grown woman. Well in many aspects that was Maleficent thought.

“Mmm,” Regina curled up against her, allowing herself and her eyes to find some rest, dragging in Maleficent’s strong perfume and the smell of lavender. She never knew why but she always smelled of lavender, Regina found that quite soothing.

The older woman looked at Regina’s sketch over where best to attack wonder, “My darling girl, what is the world I have dragged you into?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter, I would love to hear your thoughts :o)


	4. Chapter 4 Almost Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Regina is almost captured doing her assigned job, due to forgetting something there.

** _Chapter 4 Almost captured _ **

The job was easy get in dressed as a waiter, make sure the poison was in the agent’s drink, then get out, quickly and quietly. Regina had done it a thousand times before, nothing ever going wrong. She knew the cameras, the guards, everything. What could possibly go wrong?

She even had Maleficent on the ear piece well hidden in a hairclip guiding her. After all this was her first job this profiled, she couldn’t afford any mistakes, _they_ couldn’t afford any mistakes. She could hear the step by steps instructions from her teacher and adoptive mother, when one of the other waiters asked her if she was new. She lied of course showing her the credentials, saying she was moving around a lot. The other waiter sympathized.

Regina stuck to her job though, pouring the drinks and all, until the end of the night, by then she had even managed to get the poisoned drink in her prey, she could tell by the way he was acting it was working. It was time for her to vanish. She couldn’t make it too obvious though, it would be suspicious. And so, she faked a phone call from ‘her mother,’ that was at the hospital. Since no one suspected anything, they let her leave.

Once she was out of sight she realized something though, she had left something behind and needed to sneak back in and get it. It was of too much value to leave behind just then. Of course, that didn’t sit well with the agents that questioned everyone at this time, and so they questioned her, she took it easy though, there was nothing to say, she was there to serve, had poured wine that evening that was it. Luckily, they let her go without making any more notes about her. Once back out she looked at the thing she had forgotten, Emma’s ring, again she tied it around her neck, swearing she would never take it off, no matter how silly, no matter if she never saw her again. Taken it off had caused her bad luck, that was not going to happen ever again. Maleficent didn’t bother to give her a lecture about her slip up, she was just glad they made it to the plane and back home. She knew though that it was more to this random girl Regina met the night: even if Regina would never admit it. She however trusted the young woman she by now considered to be a daughter to let that be a liability in the future.

It was early morning when they got back home and Maleficent carried her daughter to bed as she had fallen asleep in the car on the way there. Once she had done so she watched over her, knowing this time it had been close. Though also that the chance it happened ever again was next to nothing, and so she wouldn’t worry about it. Her girl did good she knew, killing the agent which was their task. By the time it was smeared over the morning news Regina would still be sleeping peaceful under the watching eyes of her ‘mother,’ Maleficent.

** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I would love to hear your thoughts :o)


	5. Chapter 5 We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Emma and Regina meet each other again, and Regina invites Emma home.

** _Chapter 5. We meet again_ **

“I need a vacation,” Emma said with a heavy sigh, looking at her newest best friend Merida. They had meet at the academy seven years prior, and didn’t do anything without each other.

“Really and here I thought you lived for the job,” said Merida with a wiggled of her brows and rolling her eyes. She didn’t know a detective that was as dedicated as her friend. Even if Emma was younger than most in their occupation, she had already received a ton of medals and plaques for her work. She strived to be the best and she was just that.

“Yes and no…” Emma said, dreaming of having a day or two off, she had been working non-stop over the last year. She had by now seen the good and bad sides of her occupation.

“Alright I guess you are entitled to a little fun as it is the first weekend off in like forever,” said Merida with a grin as sat down on the couch next to her. They shared an apartment at this point and now Emma was on the couch with her feet on the table. She was flipping through a magazine about guns and ammo.

“How about we check out that new club downtown, The Ruby wolf in wonderland? I heard it is the place to go,” Emma challenged her with a smile.

“So you have finally decided to go out after all these years and hook up. What are you going to do if someone asks you about the tattoo on your shoulder?” Merida said.

Practically everyone knew about Emma’s tattooed crown with the inscription ‘_Property of R. Mills, it her majesty’s service until the end of time_’. To Merida’s and everyone’s knowledge she had taken it on vacation before she started the academy, but Emma clearly didn’t have a girlfriend. Nor had she been with anyone either for as long as Merida knew so she found the tattoo off, but the blonde didn’t want to speak of it. Whenever someone asked her about it the otherwise chatty blonde avoided the subject.

“I never said I would hook up, I just wanted to dance and have some fun, is that a crime,” said Emma, rolling her green eyes at her friend.

“No, it’s not and I shall come with if you want,” said the other woman with a grin.

“Good, now I am going to get us some beer and we shall change and go down there later tonight,” Emma said and grinned back at her, getting up from the couch, grabbing her keys and heading out of the apartment.

* * *

Ruby Lucas was watching the customers as they enjoyed themselves at her nightclub. It was the second in a franchise she had started with her girl Alice Sherwood. It was a funny coincidence that two of her best friends shared the same last name. People seemed to like the concept wolf in wonderland chasing the rabbit and the Queen of hearts.

She spotted some of her regulars from the counter when a blonde came over ordering two Guinness’ and some nuts. She filled the glasses when she spotted the tattoo in the dim light on her shoulder and gasped. R. Mills as in Regina Mills, as in her best friend, surely that couldn’t be. Regina wasn’t with anyone, in fact she hardly ever left the hospital if it wasn’t for her second job, which Ruby had no idea what was.

“Excuse me,” she yelled to get the blonde customer’s attention.

“Yeah,” she said with a smile, Ruby could tell she was a police officer by a tattoo of the shield on her upper arm.

“The tattoo on your shoulder, does the R stand for Regina?” Red asked curiously.

“Who wants to know,” Emma frowned at her.

“Well technically I am Regina Mills’ best friend, have been for years,” said Ruby with a grin.

“Wow really, how is she? If it is the same woman we are talking about,” Emma couldn’t believe her luck. She just had to know.

“She is a bit taller than you, but might be her heels, dark hair, brown eyes, overworked and underpaid I believe,” Said Ruby with a small laugh, handing her the beers.

“That got to be her! Can you get her down here?” Hope shining from Emma’s blue eyes as she looked at the bartender.

“Maybe, can I get a picture of the tat? Ruby asked. Emma smiled and turned so Ruby could do that. Ruby took it and went in the back to text Regina after giving Emma her drinks. She texted the picture in a snap and wrote, ‘A chick coming here had this, think she is yours if you want her, get your ass down here!’

“I can’t Rube’s I am working…” she soon got back.

“So you are going to miss out on your possible soulmate?” she messaged back.

“You know I don’t believe in that crap, but fine, keep her there for another hour or two and I will see if I can get off,” she soon got back with a frustrated smiley.

Ruby shook her head, knowing that Regina buried herself in work to not admit that she missed that blonde she met so many years ago. Easier to work than to actually look fear in the eye and admit she felt anything. She was curious as to if her friend would show at all, but she hoped so after all maybe the blonde drinking and laughing with a group of friends over at one of the table could loosen Regina up.

* * *

Elsewhere the young Doctor Mills was looking at her outfit in a mirror in the wardrobe at the hospital. She was wearing a black dress reaching to her knees, V-neck, broad straps and sleeveless. Her casual business work wears really, underneath her white coat. She usually wore slacks, but today she had a board meeting mid-day, it hadn’t gone all too well. In fact, she might lose her job if worse came to worst. The risk of leading a double life no doubt.

A sigh escaped her as she looked in the mirror, a necklace in gold with a gold pendant and matching earrings, dark red lipstick and dark eye makeup. It enhanced her eyes making them look more intense, at the moment though they looked tired more than anything else. Maybe because she was, but that wouldn’t stop her from going to Ruby’s club to see if it was in fact Emma that was there. Her heart beating fast by the thought, as she grabbed a black blazer from her locker and slid on her black high heels instead of her comfortable work shoes.

Another deep breath, would Emma still be attracted to her? She hadn’t changed much over the years, other than her hair was shorter, still seven years was a long time. In her case a long time and a lot of dead bodies. Could someone like Emma ever understand or even accept that part of her. The brunette was tempted to call her mother for advice, but knew she was visiting Ella so she didn’t want to disturb. A third deep breath as she decided that it was better to get it over with. After all she chose not to work that extra hour of overtime for this, and so she took her purse, closed her locker and headed out of the ever so busy hospital.

Not long after she stepped out of a cab outside Ruby’s club, where the doorman let her in without asking, they knew she was tight with the owner so no questions were ever asked. She even helped pay to open Ruby’s first club. Regina with a heart thundering louder than the music and noises in there, made her way over to the bar. She saw Ruby giving a peep talk to one of the new waiters, Nancy something, before she spotted Regina. She hurried over and leaned over the counter hugging her, “You came!”

“Yes well…” Regina said in a casual tone.

“Need a drink for courage,” Ruby asked, sensing her friend was nervous. It didn’t show, but Ruby could tell by the look in her eyes and how her fingers were playing with her purse that she was.

“Yes, please, but not too strong, I have work in the morning,” Regina said with a soft smile.

“Coming right up,” said Ruby with a wink, starting to mix one of her standard drinks, ‘midnight moon,’ together. She soon handed it over, before nodding towards the table where Emma and her friends were, “She is over there.”

Regina took a sip, before emptying the glass in another gulp, giving Ruby a bill, Ruby gave it back, “On the house, now go get her, tiger!”

“Cute,” Regina said, rolling her dark eyes making her way through the crowd, to Emma’s table. The blonde was with her back to her so David spotted her first saying, “Excuse me, Miss, how may we help?”

“I am looking for Miss. Swan,” Regina managed to get out, still keeping her cool.

Emma turned in less than a minute, looking at the brunette from where she sat. She looked the same as the last time she saw her, only her hair was shorter, and her eyes clearly tired. Should she hug her, kiss her, jump on her, or all three, what was the protocol when you saw your long-lost lover. Or they weren’t really that, at least not yet. She smiled halfway, “Regina, is that you, is that really you, you are here?!”

“I suppose I am,” Regina countered with a polite smile. She wanted nothing more than to hug Emma tight, but her good manners kept her back.

“Wow, Em, this is her, she is smoking,” Merida managed to get out, finally closing her jaw that had dropped moments earlier.

“Yeah, but back off, she’s mine, got it?” Emma blushed shyly now. For all she knew Regina could be taken, but would she come here if she was?

“Yes, I believe that was the deal we made,” Regina said, voice still stern, her eyes falling on the blonde’s toned arms and her police tattoo, so she had made it, she was fully an officer now.

Emma not as mannered as Regina let out a squeal as she got up, hugging her, feeling Regina’s arms slowly sneaking around her waist, holding on as she was afraid to let go. Emma felt her heart beat as she again beamed at her saying, “It is really you, you are here, I finally found you again.”

“Yes, here I am, I mean here we are, you didn’t have to brand yourself for me, even if I find it flattering you did,” Regina rested her head against Emma’s shoulder, letting a sigh of relaxation escape her. It was like the worries she had moments earlier finally escaped her just by having her this close. 

“I know, to be fair it was an impulse that might have been something to do with being under the influence right after we meet, I don’t regret it though,” said Emma with a small laugh simply holding her, pressing a kiss into her dark strands. Her heart beating with the happiness she felt, she still couldn't believe she was there, in her arms, the scent of her being intoxicating. 

“Ahh I see, so you became a police officer?” Regina concluded even before asking.

“I did, and you what did you become?” Emma wondered curiously.

“A doctor, a damn good one, but I may not stay that way, they are threatening to fire me,” she whispered, why she was honest about it, she didn’t know.

“Oh, I am sorry to hear that,” Emma whispered back, holding her even closer as if that could protect Regina from the world.

“It is okay, my second job collides with it, but enough about that, I want to know more about you, did you get any kids or anything over the years?” Regina wondered curiously.

“No, I haven’t even had a night off until now. I share apartment with Merida, the curly one over there, but we are just friends, we also share a cat named Happy, he is adorable. I have kind of been faithful to you or the promise I made so no kids, what about you?” Emma asked, feeling her heart beating with anticipation.

“No, but I do have a dog, my old dog died the years after I meet you so mom and Ella got me a puppy a few years after, he is the cutest thing,” Regina said with love in her eyes.

“If that is so, I would love to meet him sometime,” said Emma, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“You can right now, if you come home with me,” Regina said with a small smile.

“Are you sure that would be…well I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” Emma stopped herself midsentence.

“But what about your friends?” Regina said, looking at the group of people that sat by the table looking at them with eyes full of questions.

“I am sure they can manage without me,” said Emma, feeling even more intoxicated by Regina’s perfume. She wanted to kiss her so badly.

As Regina sensed it, she whispered in a husky tone into her ear, “Then let us not waste more time, let us leave now.”

“You want me that badly?” Emma arched her brows.

“Yes, but I haven’t seen my baby boy in almost three days, I’ve been working around the clock,” she said, feeling badly as soon as the words came out.

“Oh I see,” Emma said, turning towards the table saying, “We are going to take off, so I will catch you later?”

“You younglings have fun, don’t forget protection,” Merida winked at her.

“Very funny, mom,” Emma rolled her eyes, as she took Regina’s hand and lead her towards the exit of the club, she could feel that even if Regina was a step behind she held her hand so tight that she was afraid to let go. Once outside Regina looked at Emma saying, “I am so glad you came here tonight.”

“So am I,” she said, feeling completely lost in the blonde’s green eyes.

“If I knew your bestie owned this club, I would have come a lot sooner,” said Emma, smiling sheepishly at her.

“Just because she does, doesn’t mean I am always there, as I work a lot,” said Regina with a heavy sigh.

“I know the feeling, minding me when I ran into the airport ages ago, I asked you what you did for a living and you said, that if you told me, you would have to kill me, is that still the case?” Emma asked her.

“Yes, in fact with your current job, if you know you would most likely put me and my mother in jail,” said Regina in a very serious tone.

“Wow, you are not in the mafia or something like that, you don’t seem like the Godfather type,” Emma frowned again.

“No, but I rather not get into it, just promise that you won’t ask about it?” Regina said with a heavy sigh, adding, “Because if you do I cannot be with you.”

“I won’t, I mean it’s not like can tell you about my cases either,” Emma shrugged lightly.

“True, so should we find a cab?” Regina asked, smiling at the other woman, feeling a little better.

“I guess,” Emma said, spotting one down the street. She soon got it to stop, and held the door open so Regina could slide inside. Once she had done so, Emma got in, smiling shyly against her. So, this was it, she would finally bed Regina.

Regina never felt so nervous in her life, and so she found her phone in her purse, and texted her mom, “I finally found her, I am taking her home, and I have no idea what to do!”

No answer of course, damn it, why hadn’t she done the most logical thing and slept with someone ages ago to take the edge off? The brunette had come close, but in the end, she didn’t want to, she had made a promise to Emma and she had intended to keep it. She gave the address to the driver and looked down at her shoes, knowing this was so stupid.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked, looking at the other woman, she seemed uncomfortable.

“I…it is stupid really,” Regina could feel herself blush as she looked up at Emma.

“Try me,” Emma asked in a soft tone.

“I know how do any medical procedure in the world, I know how to run what remains of my parents company and take care of the estate, I know about five languages or so fluently, I read more than most, I know how to take down animals when I hunt and cleaned up the mess and my riffle, I can cook even, but I have not the slightest idea on how to engage in well sexual relations. I spent years waiting to meet you again, and I didn’t want to sleep with anyone else I guess, I really have no idea how to do this when we get home,” Regina said, feeling like a fool.

“Well then we are equal, as I waited for you and we will figure it out, together Wow that is where you live?” Emma wondered, seeing the cab pull out outside the big estate. To her this was something taken out of a Laura Croft movie or something similar. She would never picture Regina living in a house this big.

“Yes, this is home. I could have had an apartment downtown if I wanted to, but I grown used to this place. So has my mother,” said Regina as she paid the cabby and got out.

Emma followed her, her eyes still wide. She couldn’t even imagine growing up in a place this big. Before she could think she asked, “So do you have like servants and maids?”

“We have a butler, and two or three cleaning ladies, other than that it is just us,” said Regina, walking towards the front door. She found her key and opened it, only to hear happy barking from inside. Regina hardly came inside before an American Foxhound came running, jumping up on her, almost tearing her to the ground.

“Easy Luke, we have company,” Regina cooed making him go back down, after she scratched his ear gently.

He made his way to the other woman sniffing curiously, Emma held out a hand before she said, “What a good boy you are.”

“He is, I am just going to let him out in the backyard,” said Regina, getting the dog to follow her by heel, while Emma took of her shoes and jacket.

The blonde made her way to the living room, looking around, the furniture’s was a mix between old and new. She saw a grand piano in a corner, beside it a guitar, a bookshelf, filled with both books and framed pictures. She walked closer seeing what could only be a young Regina next to a dead deer smiling. She didn’t even know why it gave her chills. She looked at some pictures of Regina’s adoptive mother and two other women over the years. It wasn’t hard to see that Regina’s mother was in love with the other Caucasian woman with black and white hair. Her hair was long and loose in most of the pictures, and Emma found her quite beautiful.

She walked to the next one a couple with auburn hair, the female darker than the mail and their young daughter. All smiling to the camera. Emma figured that was her biological parents. She carefully lifted it out to take a closer look at it, seeing Regina wore a striking resemblance to her mother even at her current age.

Emma put the picture back, only to go and sit down by the grand piano, opening the lit, letting her fingers slide gently over the keys, closing her eyes as she slightly started to play without looking. It pleased her that the piano itself was intoned, meaning that either Regina or her mother had to play on it on a regular basis. She didn’t notice that Regina was looking at her mesmerized from the doorway to the living room. She did play herself from time to time, but nearly as well.

Emma finished the melody, before she closed the lid over the keys as gently as she had opening it. She turned to looked at the other woman saying, “I am sorry I shouldn’t have done that without asking.”

“It is alright, please continue as it was lovely listening to,” Regina encouraged. She walked over only to sit down beside her on the stool.

Emma smiled at the other woman a little shyly, saying, “One of my former foster moms was a skilled piano player, I stayed with her for I think it was from age four to eight, but they ended up adopting another of the foster kids and she got pregnant, so I got put back into the system. I ended up bouncing between a couple more places until I meet this dude Neal. I was sixteen and he I think some years older. Didn’t last though as he wanted to run away and I wanted to stay in school you know, become what I am now. I lived on the streets then, but Mary Margaret found out and she let me move in with her and her family and we became fast friends. Her mom died a couple of years back. By then I had already moved in with Merida so she and David could have some space.”

Regina nodded, not interrupting as she said, “It must have been hard being a foster child.”

“Mostly it was hard not knowing where I came from, other than that my parents passed away. Or at least that is what they told me. I guess I could have found the records by now, but you know whoever left me at there didn’t want me for whatever reason. I didn’t really miss whoever you know, but I figured if they left me, they never really deserve me either,” said Emma with a shrug.

“Or they couldn’t provide for you ant thought that was your best chance. Whatever the reason was I am sorry you had to go through it,” said Regina in a sympathetic tone.

“Thanks, but I was okay mostly, what about you?” Emma wondered as she let her fingers play along the keys with ease.

“My parents died, and my guardian was a cruel man, luckily he got killed, and Margaret saved me and became my new guardian. She taught me how to hunt and made sure I had what I needed,” said Regina like it was nothing. She was at times not used to show emotions and so she had no problems hiding them.

“You hunt, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not,” said Emma a bit surprised. Then again, she should have guessed from the picture in the bookshelf.

“Not trophy hunting though, I am very against that,” said Regina, making a face in disgust. If it was up to her all the trophy hunters would be caged like they deserved.

“I agree, I think it is horrible that people kill beautiful animals just for a part of them,” Emma said with a heavy sigh.

“It’s a shame,” said Regina, sadness in her voice. She was just about to say something when her phone rang. She got up from the stool to find it in her purse in the hallway. A number unknown, most likely her handler, he tended to call from burner cells so the call could not be traced. She sighed, saying, “The black raven, who is this. Yes, yes, by next Friday or before, yes, tell her to transfer it first. They have to trust me. Alright I will call you regarding the details they need to know so they won’t be suspected of anything. Alright, try to have a good night. Bye.”

* * *

She put her phone aside groaning, just what she needed, now that she finally found Emma. A new prey in a completely other state that would take time. She looked at Emma in the doorway playing gently on the piano. She knew right then she would have given it all up for her, had it not been she didn’t know another way of life. She walked over sitting down next to her singing along with what Emma played, “If I got locked away, we lost all today, tell me honestly would you still love me the same. If I showed you my flaws, if I couldn’t be strong, would you still love me the same.”

“Yes, I am not perfect either, Regina, not in any way, far from it,” Emma whispered, daring to press a kiss against the brunette’s cheek.

“Don’t make a promise you cannot keep, you don’t even know half of what I am, half of me I can never tell you about,” Regina said with a heavy sigh. Was this really as hopeless as she made it to be. Surely her mother and Ella made it work somehow.

“Well let’s start with the half I can know then, and I don’t mind you like hunting, I would even like to join you once. Much like you I need to know how to handle a weapon at all times, so I am sure I can handle a hunting rifle also. I know you used to play piano and that you have a beautiful singing voice and a dog, which is adorable. Any chance he is named after Luke Skywalker?” Emma tried to lighten the mood.

“Yes, that he is,” Regina nodded, smiling at Emma. She would hate to admit he loved the movies.

“Awesome, I am a total fan, next Halloween we are dressing like Han, Luke and Leia,” Emma said excitedly.

“I can agree with that,” said Regina, laughing heartfelt. She didn’t say she already dressed her dog up as Luke Skywalker once already for the fun of it. It was when he was a puppy though.

“Do you have the movies?” Emma wondered, daring to nuzzle against the cheek.

Regina didn’t mind it all as she whispered against her ear, “All that have come out up to this date, you want to do a marathon?”

“If you have the time,” Emma teased playfully.

“After finding you after all these years, dear, I will make the time,” Regina whispered, pressing a light kiss against Emma’s lips before she got up to find the movies.

Emma sat there stunned for a second, the kiss was brief, still yet enough to taste Regina on her lips. She let her hand sink into her pocket texting Merida, “She just suggested a Star Wars Marathon, I swear I will marry her someday.”

“Dude, I think you are missing some point, you haven’t seen her in years and you are watching Star Wars movies, nail her already!” it soon came back.

Regina returned, only motioning for Emma to follow her to the living room, where she put the Blue-Ray disk in the player. She got back onto the couch where Emma was waiting, saying, “Just so you know, when we have kids we are not naming them after characters from the movie.”

“So we are having kids?” Emma said, a little surprised that this woman she had met for the first time in years made serious plans already.

“I hope that we someday might, even with our busy schedules, but it is alright if we don’t as long as I can keep you until the end of time,” Regina said, turning her head looking into Emma’s green eyes.

“Honestly I was thinking about fostering or adopting, give someone like me a better home, but I totally get if you rather have your own, I mean rather have our own. We could both carry, or I mean I know I can,” Emma knew she was gasping for straws here.

“I think that would be a good idea, I mean adopt or fostering, and if that works out we could consider getting one of our own. But if we do it in that order, we have to make sure the first child know he or she won’t be sent back because we are getting a second child. And we always need to make her or she feel welcome and loved even if we have to set some boundaries,” Regina pointed out as she turned on the TV, finding the channel for the Blue-Ray.

“I absolutely agree with you on that, but you travel a lot for your main job as I got it, how would you solve that when you, I mean if we have children?” Emma wondered.

“Either you had to be home having the main responsibility or I would have to have my best friend do it. It was how I was raised you know, whenever mom had to leave her best friend Ella would come over. Or her other friend Vanessa or sometime both. I love them both to bits,” said Regina thoughtfully.

“And what if that job ends up putting you in jail?” Emma wondered, knowing it was a risk, whatever it was. She just hoped she would never find out.

“Hopefully we never have to worry about that,” Regina said with a heavy sigh, adding, “I will do my best to keep my job here or find another one.”

“Alright, there is one thing I am wondering about though, but it is stupid to ask,” Emma said, looking shy now.

“Then I shall try to answer to the best of my abilities,” said Regina with a soft smile.

“When is your birthday?” Emma wondered, smiling at her, it was easier than to ask how old she was.

“February 1.st and I am twenty-eight as I sense that is what you wanted to ask, what about you?” Regina asked back with a genuine smile.

“October 22nd so I am a little shy of twenty-six,” Emma concluded as it was late august right now.

“I shall make a mental note to always remember that, now matter where I am,” said Regina, leaning to kissing her cheek gently.

“Likewise,” Emma said, being a bit bolder, she cupped Regina’s cheek with her hand and gently pressed her lips against her. The brunette although surprised, eased into the kiss, letting her tongue probe against Emma’s lips, only to being allowed access. She let out a soft sound as their tongue united, letting the kiss go on for a while. It felt so right, like she had been longing for so long. As she broke it, she whispered, “I missed you so much, Emma.”

* * *

As Emma backed away, she saw tears twinkling in Regina’s eyes, knowing the brunette had longed for her as much as she in turn had longed for her. She went to pull her into her grasp, holding her tight, whispering, “I am here now, and I promise I always will be.”

“Thank you,” Regina whispered, hiding her head in Emma’s shoulder, taking her in fully. It was only then she realized just how much she needed her, and how much she had missed in those years that had gone pass. She withdraws, but only for a second to put the first movie on, then she snuggled close again, leaning against Emma, feeling the safety of having her arm around her, letting her body relax fully.

Emma smiles, feeling herself falling as she presses a few kisses in between Regina’s dark strands. She couldn’t even explain by words if she tried the fact that this woman had waited for her for seven years, just as she had waited for Regina.

It occurred as the opening credits rolls that Regina should have offered something to drink or snacks, but the brunette figures she could do that while they switched between the disks, and so she just remained close to Emma. She could hear pawprints and saw Luck came to lay down so he could watch the TV halfway, slowly dozing off.

Regina doesn’t even realize that she fell asleep half into the third movie, but lying with her head in Emma’s lap, having her fingers caress through her hair she in the end couldn’t help it. After all it was close to 5 AM in the morning and she had almost been up for four hours straight.

The blonde looks at her date with swelling heart, letting her fingers stroke over her neck, whispering, “Regina, maybe we should try sleeping for an hour or two, you must be exhausted.”

“I am sorry,” she whispered and sat up, feeling guilty for ruining their time together.

“It is okay Regina, it really is, I mean it is late. If we sleep a few hours and both call in sick we can continue a little later, as I don’t feel like leaving right now,” Emma offered polite.

“I really shouldn’t, considering how things are now, I can however go in for a few hours and then be back. There is a patient of two I wish to look at,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“That is alright, then I can fix you breakfast while you are out,” said Emma with a grin.

“That you can, so…” Regina sat up, smiling shyly, “I think it is high time I showed you my bedroom.”

“I can sleep down here if you want to,” Emma offered, feeling a shiver of thrill run down her spine.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Regina with smile, getting up she offered Emma her hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze, and soon she follows the brunette up the stairs and down a long hallway. She makes a mental note they were going to the left and how many doors they passed before Regina opened a door on the right. She turned on a switch saying, “So this is it.”

Emma still holding her hand, looked around, figuring it was a bigger room she would ever have. In fact it was bigger than any room she could ever afford. Almost right opposite the door, but across the room, was a window, underneath it was a footstool. Since there was some pillows and some magazines there Emma imagined it was where the brunette would sit and read.

Against the corner on the right side was a queen-size bed neatly made with and old teddy bear and stuffed dragon resting against the pillow. Emma assumed it had once been a smaller bed there, but it had been upgraded when the brunette got older. In the remains of the corner of that end of the room was two massive bookshelves filled with books, except for one shelf where there was framed photos. On opposite side was four closets going from floor to ceiling, Emma assumed her wardrobe. Over the head of the bed hang a framed picture of a young Regina on a chestnut brown horse, smiling, her father standing next to her. On the other side of the bed seemed to be a various of poster of horses, movie and sing stars.

Emma pictured them to be plastered up when Regina was younger, but not taken down as it gave her some sense of safety. What she could see of color on the walls was a warm shade of purple, and the free space on the floor was used to a table with some chairs around, and smaller table with a stable and some horses.

“So, this is you?” Emma concluded, taking it all in.

“My past and some of my present, but not sure if it will be my future,” She looked at Emma, blushing.

“You still play with the horses?” Emma wondered curiously. She could easily picture it, even if Regina was now thirty, mainly as a distraction.

“On occasion on a bad day,” the brunette shrugged. Even if it was silly it was a good distraction.

“I can get that, I sometimes read comic books and play Super Mario,” Emma said in a sympathetic tone.

“So you want to borrow a pajamas, or do you sleep in your underwear?” Regina asked calmly. She could feel excitement growing inside her.

“I usually only sleep in an old shirt or something,” Emma shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

Regina walked over to the closet, finding a pajamas, green with music notes all over. She handed it over to Emma saying, “It should fit, we are almost the same size.”

“Thanks,” Emma said, taking it.

“Bathroom is second door down the hall, there is an extra toothbrush in the closet over the sink if you need it,” Regina said, smiling shyly at her.

The blonde nodded and walked in that direction, only to return moments later dressed in the pajamas, her clothes in her hands. While she was gone Regina had changed into one of her blue ones with clouds all over. She could feel herself shivering, never having shared bed with anyone before, not knowing what to expect. Not wanting to be discouraging as she mainly wanted to sleep and cuddle just then.

Emma sensing the brunette was looking as nervous as she felt, let her eyes glimpse over at the nightstand on a pile of books, saying, “Maybe…maybe you could read to me?”

“You sure, I mean I am sure my choice of books isn’t all that exciting,” Regina said with a half laughter.

“I am sure it is just fine, I can also read to you if you rather want that,” Emma said, smiling at her.

“Alright, Regina gave in as she walked over to the bed, only to get inside on the right side, Emma doing the same sitting down next to her. Regina handed her a book, from the cover looking like a love story. Emma smiled as she opened it where the bookmark was at, while Regina curled up close to listen. The brunette let a finger show the paragraph in which Emma shoulder start reading, and the blonde read, “_Christmas two years ago Holly had gone shopping with Sharon for a dress for the annual ball they attended at the Burlington Hotel. Shopping with Sharon was always a dangerous outing, and John and Gerry had joked about how they would once again suffer through Christmas without any presents as a result of the girls' shopping sprees. But they weren't far wrong. Poor neglected husbands, the girls always called them. That Christmas Holly had spent a disgraceful amount of money in Brown Thomas on the most beautiful white dress she had ever seen. _

_“Shit, Sharon, this will burn a huge hole in my pocket,” Holly guiltily said, biting her lip and running her fingers over the soft material. _

_“Aah, don't worry, Gerry can stitch it up for you,” Sharon replied, followed by her infamous cackle._

_ “And stop calling me 'shit Sharon,' by the way. Every time we go shopping you address me as that. If you're not careful I might start taking offense. Buy the damn thing, Holly. It's Christmas after all, the season of giving and all that.” _

_“God, you are so evil, Sharon. I'm never shopping with you again. This is like, half my month's wages. What am I going to do for the rest of the month?” _

_“Holly, would you rather eat or look fab?” Was it even worth thinking about?”_

Emma stopped to take a deep breath as Regina said, “I never done that, balls or big Christmas parties you know. I mean I went to my senior prom, but I didn’t have a date or anything, as well by then Daniel had left and I was heartbroken.”

“Christmas with my current family is always chaotic as we invite over friends in addition to family. The more the merrier, I say the more, the messier,” Emma made a face.

“Sounds nice though, we are just me and mom, sometimes Ella is here, but it is mainly just us,” said Regina. They never made a big deal out of it really.

Maybe you could come with this Christmas and your mothers two, if we are getting married it seems only fair,” said Emma, pressing a soft kiss to Regina’s lips.

“So we are getting married are we?” Regina said, giving Emma a kiss on the cheek, making her blush.

“We already wasted seven years, so I don’t see why not. Unless of course you want to live together for like and not get married,” said Emma.

“Then let us go down to the court house once I am back for the next week and fill out the papers,” Regina said, knowing that it was a risk to do so with a dual identity.

“I can agree to that,” said Emma with a grin, leaning in to give Regina a deeper kiss. Regina returned it, moaning lightly, pulling Emma closer, letting her hand slip under her shirt, feeling her soft skin underneath her fingertips. Another moan escaped her as she felt Emma caress her skin, underneath the pajama, for a second, she regretted putting it on. She kept on kissing her for a little while longer, caressing her skin, before a yawn escaping her.

Emma didn’t push for more, instead she pressed a kiss against her forehead, saying, “Sleep tight, your majesty.”

“And you, my brave knight,” said Regina, holding her close, falling asleep, resting her head against her shoulder, more at peace than she had been in ages. She wouldn’t even mind skipping her job for her she knew, she just had to be careful so her other job didn’t interfere with the two of them. Emma on the other hand lay awake just watching over her love, only falling asleep right before Regina’s alarm went off, not minding it at all. She simply sighed getting up to call in sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter, feedback is always most welcome :o)


	6. Chapter 6 Hard Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Emma and Regina have adopted two children and are expecting number three. This concerns Regina, as they hardly have time for each other and the children as it is, due to their work schedules.   
In addition Ruby is left in a coma after a fight at her bar.   
Emma is also wondering if Regina can be one of the two killers she and her boss Elsa is after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mention of sex.

** _Chapter 6 Hard times. _ **

If someone had told Regina how hard being married to Emma would actually be, she wouldn’t have believed it. She wasn’t really used to worry about another person to the extent she did about Emma. Not knowing if she would come back in one piece or if she would get the call her love was in the hospital and wouldn’t make it home due to an injury.

She of course had worried about her mom coming home both in her younger years and now, still it as nothing compared to this. She was walking around their home, pacing back and forth in the living room of the manor. Well one of them in any case.

“Mom, she will be home, you can leave you know,” she heard their son Henry say behind her. He was now thirteen, he had been ten when they adopted him, three years earlier.

“I know, I know,” she whispered, not wanting to leave before seeing Emma. They had both worked almost around the clock for the five years they had been married. She sometimes felt she didn’t see her at all. Then again both knew this were likely to happen when the married. They had done as planned filled out the paperwork when Regina was back from her assignment and married not long after.

The time in between they had used to getting to know each other, by either sleeping over at each other’s places or calling each other. It seemed like they never ran out of subjects to talk about. She could even remember the first time they made love. It was after she came home from the kill. She was tired and exhausted; she had called Emma on the way from the airport and the blonde had meet her at home wearing her uniform. Regina had thrown herself at her, she didn’t know how much she missed her, how much she needed her, until she was right there.

In the aftermath she realized it wasn’t romantic or sweet, just raw and needy. They had simply torn their clothes off each other between hungry kisses and bites. Their bodies grinding against each other on the living room couch, in one hot mess. She had whimpered a bit when Emma entered her, but that was about it, only for a second, then it was alright, as she let the blonde fuck her for the first time in her life. She didn’t regret it and she knew Emma didn’t either.

“Mom, you need to leave or you will miss the flight, you don’t want to be late for the medical seminar, do you? I can call granny in the meantime,” Henry said.

Medical seminar, that was what she used as an excuse, not mom has to go and kill someone. She hated it, lying to him, only to put herself and their future at risk. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to stop. She sighed, taking her suitcase, when the door opened, and Emma stood there, her face gray and her eyes dark, it looked like she had been crying.

Regina dropped her suitcase, and went over to hug her, tight, afraid she would break her bones, knowing she never could. She didn’t ask, at this point she didn’t have to. She knew that someone, most likely someone they knew died or got injured today.

“It is bad, babe, really bad, I wanted you to hear it from me,” Emma said with a heavy sigh.

“What happened, is it Merida or someone other of our closest friends?” Regina felt her stomach turn, as Emma’s friends were as much hers at this point.

“No, it is Ruby, there was a fight at the club and she and Alice got injured badly trying to stop it, Alice got away with some deep cuts and a fractured wrist, but Ruby was unconscious by the time we got there. Regina, they are not sure she will make it,” Emma said, tears welling up now.

“I need to make a call,” Regina said, calm, and gathered, as she went into her office calling her mother, having her soon pick up saying, “Black Raven?”

“I need you to take a job for me, it is in Indiana, I was supposed to leave for a flight right now, but Emma got home, it’s Ruby, she is injured badly, mom, and I don’t know if she will make it, please do this for me, as I can’t leave right now,” Regina whispered, trying as hard she could not to cry.

“I will take care of it, I am not far from the airport, so I will find a way to fix the tickets,” Maleficent said calmly.

“Thank you, mom, I am so sorry about this,” said Regina with a heavy sigh.

“Nonsense, you would have done the same if something happened to auntie Ella,” said Maleficent and hung up.

Regina took a deep breath, she couldn’t lose it now, she had to keep it together for them, so she wouldn’t scare Henry or their daughter Aurora if she woke. She was a bit younger than Henry, but even if both were adopted, they treated each other like brother and sister. Walking back towards the hallway where she left Emma only one thing came to mind; that if her best friend died, whoever responsible would have to pay, she would make sure of it. Even if she made it, she knew she might do so, because Ruby sure as hell didn’t deserve that, and neither did Alice.

The brunette decided long ago that those that hurt her family, or the ones she considered as such would feel her wrath. Easy as that. It was only as she saw Emma another thought struck. What hospital was she in? She hoped that she wasn’t at the one she worked at, because that would make things a bit more complicated as she had told Henry and Emma, she needed to go to a medical conference due to work. Emma saw right through it of course, knowing for years that it was Regina’s ‘secret’ job that took her to other places. Another deep breath as she walked back to her wife, saying, “Alright, which hospital is she in? I am going to head straight there.”

“I would advise against it, as they probably wouldn’t let you in at this point, just family,” Emma said.

“Just family. What I am then? Just the damn neighbor?! Damn it, Emma! You know we grew up together, that we practically lived at each other’s houses, you cannot tell me I cannot go see her, you can’t, you just can’t,” Regina’s voice went from high to shaky within moments.

“Alright she is at the Hope of an angel,” Emma sight, carefully hugging her as she whispered, “Please drive within the speed limit, I will be here when you return.”

“Alright,” Regina whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, before run out the door.

“Auntie Ruby will be alright, right ma?” Henry said, looking at his mother with wondering eyes.

“I am sure she will, my little prince,” said Emma, going over to hug him.

“I hope so or mom won’t be the same,” he said with a sigh.

“Let the doctor worry about that, how about we watch a superhero movie,” Emma tried, knowing he should probably go to bed.

“Awesome, can we watch Thor Ragnarök?” he asked politely.

“You go find it and I will make some popcorn,” she said and smiled at him. She could really use it after the day she had. She knew Aurora would most likely be sleeping already, but she still decided to check on her when the movie came to its end.

* * *

It didn’t take Regina long to drive to the hospital or find Ruby’s room. It wasn’t often she pulled the doctor card, but this time she did. She soon found the room 205. A deep breath as she opened the door and walked inside seeing the woman that was like a sister to her. She looked at her, as she was hooked up to all the machines, helping her breathe, showing her brain and heart rhythm. At least it all seemed to be going steady, that was a good sign. Her brain was still working as it should.

Still her lip had been stitched together, her left eye swollen shut. Regina lifted the cover seeing that her right arm was in cast up to the elbow, and most of her body had cuts and bruises. Still from what Regina could see nothing major, if you didn’t consider the coma, meaning the hit to her head had to be something. She looked at the chart hanging by the end of her bed, reading it over. She sighed heavily as she went back to her head saying, “You are not allowed to die on us you hear? I won’t allow it. I don’t care what have to be done to bring you back, I am not losing you. Not now, as you are becoming an aunt for another little one. Emma doesn’t even know it yet. I planned to tell her when I got the news of this.”

The other brunette simply lay there, not moving at all, so Regina sat down next to her, watching over her, swearing that whoever did it would pay. No one would hurt her family and get away with it. She didn’t care what it took, even if it meant putting herself herself into legal trouble. It was the least she could do. It would have to wait though, as there was no way she would leave Ruby’s side.

* * *

It was early morning when the phone rang in the Swan Mills’ house. Emma groaned, stretching a bit, regretting having fallen asleep on the couch the night before. Again, the angry ringing sounded, making her walk over to the dining room table where the phone was. She took a d deep breath as she answered, “Davenport residence, how may I be at service.”

“Emma, I was looking through the files of your last case, the murder near the docks, clean shoot, one bullet through the head, long distance, riffle, bullet missing,” said her Sergeant.

“Yes, what about it?” Emma wondered, not bothering with trivial things as good morning and hey.

“I think I found similarities to an old case, or two, is there any chance you can dome down here?” she asked.

“Can I bring Henry and Aurora, Regina isn’t home at the moment, and I don’t like to leave him alone,” said Emma, seeing Henry wasn’t in the living room area. Normally he wouldn’t even be there as he had school, but today was a Saturday so he had time off.

“Alright,” was the answer before hanging up.

“Yo, kids, get in here, I need to go into work and you are coming with me,” Emma yelled up the stairs.

“No need to yell,” Henry said and appeared behind her. She smiled at him, ruffling his brown hair, “I thought you were upstairs.”

“I was in the kitchen, got hungry,” he shrugged, making a face to the hair ruffling.

“I will be right there,” Aurora yelled, soon coming down the stairs, dressed in a Star Wars dress, holding a pink backpack with pattern of Disney Princesses in her hand. She smiled at her mom. Emma smiled as she hugged her, before saying, “Have you any idea how much I love you two.”

“To infinity and beyond,” Henry said with a smile.

“Past all the galaxies and back,” said Aurora, also smiling.

“All of that and more,” said Emma, kissing the top of her heads lovingly. They were perfect simply perfect.

She smiled as she grabbed her purse in the hallway, making sure he had what he needed also, before she locked up the house. She sighed heavily not even sure why she dreaded this, still she did. Henry noticed, but he didn’t say anything, he knew she couldn’t tell him about work and he was fine with that. He simply got in the passenger seat, put the air plugs on his phone and buckled up. Emma helped his sister in back making sure she was all buckled up.

* * *

On the way there, thoughts were forming in Emma’s head. Mostly because the shooting that her boss called her about had not been solved. The shooter didn’t leave trace of any kind, not even the bullet. It was clear by the wound it was from a hunting rifle though. Emma had seen it before, in some old cases, from when she had searched for similar cases in the database. High profiled persons, dead on the spot, sometimes with a rifle, others with a knife, poison, small caliber gun, or a flip knife. All done precise, no trace, no clues, no nothing. The only thing similar with half of the cases was that the killer left the eyelids shut, like some sign of mercy, and also their valet so it was easy to find the next of kin. To Emma it was too precise, too perfect. Like they weren’t killing them, they were just a clean-up crew, someone that they called to get the job done.

It was only then it dawned upon Emma, that these killers whoever they were, were contract killers, the ones that got paid a lot to kill the ones that needed to be removed for one reason or another. And in their eyes, it was the right thing to do as it paid the rent or put food on the table.

What if it was Regina had told her many years ago, “_Don’t ask me what I do, because then I can’t be with you._”

Could she be the one behind all this, surely, she wouldn’t go as far as to kill people? To Emma it sounded unreasonable, she was a mother after all, and they were trying to have another child. Surely that was a big risk to take if you were a killer. Then again what if she wasn’t the only one? What if Margaret was the one that…taught her. Emma hit the break hard, not seeing the red like before the last minute. No, that couldn’t be. Then again it would explain why both women were travelling so much, and why her wife needed to be so skilled with a rifle. The blonde wondered if it was any way to confront her with this, knowing without any evidence it was only speculations. After all it was not like she could ask Regina strait forward, or her mother for that matter. They would think her absurd, not to mention some of the people that were killed clearly deserved it.

The blonde shook it off as she parked in front of the precinct. Henry got out of the car, then helped his sister do the same, looking at his mother with worried eyes, she was usually not this quiet or deep in thought when they were driving.

“Are you Alright?” He asked, looking at her.

“Yes, just concerns regarding the case, I hate when they get away you know,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“I am sure you will catch him, you always do,” said Henry, grinning at her.

“Not always,” Emma gently reminded him, as this wasn’t the only unsolved case.

“Maybe not at once, but in time, so what if it takes ten years? They have to slip up at some point right?” he asked, still confident.

“I do suppose that is so, but what if there is someone that has a family that he cares about, and the killings were done for the right reasons, is it still right to put them in jail?” Emma asked.

“It depends on the situation I suppose; I mean you don’t put like people in the armies in jails, and they sometimes kill a ton. Same with world leaders ordering them out in war, and in a way, it is genocide. So right and wrong can be very gray. And eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind. Look behind what you see,” he finished.

“How did you become so smart, kid?” Emma said, as he had just given her the clues that could possibly solve the case, even if it would take as he said years.

“You, mom, the grandparents, school and modern technology,” he said with a shrug.

Emma just laughed as she they walked inside the crowded police station. She soon settled them at her computer and walked into conference room where her boss was waiting.

* * *

The blonde Sergeant was only over twenty years older than her she knew, but dedicating her life to the job made her look much older. She was standing with the back towards Emma, looking at a blackboard with her notes when the blonde entered.

“I think I got an idea on the way here, something we haven’t look into yet,” said Emma optimistic.

“Oh?” Elsa Winter’s turned to look at Emma with curious eyes.

“Yes, what if we start looking at the victims again, their reasons to be killed by looking at their families, associates, then go further back, I estimate twenty years or a bit longer back in time, and look for similar MO,” Emma said, she wanted to pull the file on her wives parents and her guardian.

“We can do that, but then we need more manpower, I am not even sure all those files are computer logged,” Elsa sighed heavily.

“I am prepared to do extra time on this,” said Emma, she was sure if Regina’s mother was behind this, it had to have started long before Regina came into the picture.

“I hope you can solve it before you retire,” Elsa said with a sigh, knowing this case might not be solvable at all.

“I am sure that will not be the case, which reminds me are you seeing anyone at the moment?” Emma asked, knowing that was a dangerous ground to tread on.

“I work around the clock, what do you think?” the older woman arched a brow, adding, “And I am not looking to be set up with a man my age if that is what you are thinking.”

“No, I was thinking about Regina’s friend if she comes out of the coma, I think the two of you could hit it off,” Emma tried.

“So, what you are saying is that I have to court a woman in a coma and get her to wake up and then get her back on my feet? You sure have high hope for your old boss don’t you?” Elsa said with a hoarse laughter. It had to be one of the craziest things she had heard up to now.

“No, I am serious, she owns and work at the club she was beaten up at, she has money, but work almost as much as you do. I have even caught her sleep over at the club. You both like music, don’t deny it we both know you listen to music when you are stuck on a case. Plus both are not exactly morning persons, even if you are at work all hours, plus it is in your nature to care for people. Not sure if you are into girls though,” Emma shrugged, adding, “Besides what do you got to lose, nothing.”

“And if she doesn’t wake, I have wasted my time, that is better at use working this case,” she pointed out.

“Alright, it was just a thought, so you might sleep other places than here,” said shrugging it off again.

“Can we please just focus on the case, Emma?” she said, going over to her laptop to look at one of the case folders to have another look at one of the victims back stories.

Emma nodded quietly, as she looked on one of the laptops to see if she could find about the backstory about Regina’s wife. She hoped she would be wrong though, on all accounts.

* * *

Regina didn’t know when she had fallen asleep during the night, she only realized she had to have fallen asleep as she woke by someone lightly pressing her shoulder. She looked up to see Emma’s boss looking at her with worried eyes.

“Sergeant Winters, what are you doing here?” Regina asked confused. Surely if anyone should come it should be her wife.

“Relieving you of your duty. Your family, or rather your children down at my station needs you. They are hungry and Emma is working hard right now,” the older woman said.

“She could have called,” Regina groaned trying to become more awake.

“I think you know her better than that,” the blonde woman frowned.

“Yes, yes, of course. Thank you, but you really don’t need to stay, I am sure the doctor will call if there is anything,” said Regina calmly.

“I got time. Let me do this; after all you and your family has always been loyal to the core, so let me repay the favor,” the other woman stood steadfast.

Regina knowing it was no use to argue, after all this was one of the women she never could seem to win an argument with. Instead she rose from the chair she had spent the night, then hurried towards the parking lot.

* * *

The blonde sergeant eyed Ruby, that lay there as a sleeping beauty, saying, “So you are the one that Emma says will be my perfect fit, I suppose I should introduce myself. I know you can hear me, at least the sound of my voice, so maybe if, I mean when you wake you remember me. I am a cop, obviously, I am fifty-three, so I suppose I am about twenty years older than you. I have and adoptive son, Storm, which lives with her legal guardians when I work too much, which is my sister and her husband. I plan to take time off this weekend to see him as he is my everything, I had him since I was a baby, but not many know. I have many enemies after all and therefore I found it best to keep him a secret. I am gay, but I haven’t dated in years, I use work as an excuse but it is that I am scared really. And what else, I like to read, I have been to your club as I like to watch people dance, and I love music and singing even if I have a horrible singing voice. I am not a morning person, I am addicted to coffee, I don’t like donuts, but I love cupcakes, I hate meetings with the police commissioner and the mayor, and I am considering getting a dog.”

She looked at the other woman that showed no emotions as to if she had heard her or not. Elsa sighed heavily. Maybe this was useless, but she still vowed to come every day to talk to her until she woke up or passed on. It would be nice to have someone listening if nothing else. She wasn’t even sure if it would be logical or reasonable to do so, still it was something with this woman that struck a chord in her, one that hadn’t been struck for quite some time. A tear run down her cheek, as she whispered, “Please find the strength to wake up so you can get better, I would like to take you out.”

* * *

While Sergeant Winters was talking to her sister, Regina was practically speeding to the police station. How could Emma be so wrapped up in her work that she forgot Henry and Aurora. Better yet, how could they be so wrapped up in their own jobs that they forgot each other. She couldn’t even remember the last time they had a sexual encounter, but she knew it couldn’t have been years since the last time. Sure, they held each other when they were sleeping, and cuddled, but it felt more like a habit now, it was more like a daily routine. Still she sometimes missed the sparks, the little excitement, the small surprises that had been there when they first started going out. She stopped at a red light wondering if it was supposed to be like this after five years of marriage, and if it was like this now, what would it be like in ten years.

Would she or Emma be the one in a coma due to an accident, and the other wondering if they would wake up or not. Would they regret the things not said or done? ‘No,’ Regina decided as she parked in front of the precinct. Even with two jobs she refused to let the spark fully die out. She made sure her car was properly parked, before killing the engine. Opening the door, her heels meet with the pavement hard and precise, she straightened her black pencil skirt a little, then she grasped for her purse and closed the door, locking the car.

With angry steps she walked into the building, ignoring the looks she got walking towards the room she knew Emma most likely was in, Conference room 1, where the biggest cases was usually laid out. And there she was behind a laptop, making notes on a side paper, deep in thought, dedicated to her work as always. Regina smiled a little by the sight. Her wife like herself was always dedicated to her work and seldom made any crucial errors. In a way it scared her, as Regina knew if anyone could catch herself and her mother, it would be Emma.

Still she pushed thought aside and walked further into the room, almost afraid to speak, she said, “Emma?”

The blonde looked up, straight at her, smiling her goofy smile, “Hi love, what are you doing here, is Ruby doing better?”

“No, Elsa came there, the hospital said you forgot to feed the children, and that she would stay, but that is not what worries me,” the brunette said with a heavy sigh.

Emma nodded as she felt a sting of victory that her boss had gone over. She however didn’t like when her wife worried, and she asked, “What is it, you are not unwell or dying right?”

“I am pregnant. The last insemination worked, but on my way here it occurred to me that we hardly have time for each other and the children we have as it is, maybe this baby isn’t a good idea. Just looking around this room I got a feeling you will be occupied for months maybe longer, and my job isn’t any better. The thing is I really miss us and I need you,” Regina managed to get out, swallowing hard. Why was that so hard to admit she wondered. She felt so naked admitting it, laying all cards on the table, and in the worst place ever.

Emma nodded and dragged her out of there and to her own office, telling the children to give them a moment. She gave them some money to buy food at the café across the street, knowing that most likely they would just hang out in the break room until Regina was done. She also knew that the other officers wouldn’t mind it as they had been with their mother to work more than once since they adopted them. Emma took a deep breath as she pulled down the blinds before she turned to her wife saying, "You are pregnant this time, for sure?" The blonde’s-tired eyes lit up at once.

"I confirmed it at the Doctor the day before yesterday, I was going to tell you bit the last days have been crazy and our shifts…" she drifted off, looking away.

Emma nodded as she looked at her, tears forming in her eyes of happiness, for years they had tried to get pregnant, with no luck. Emma much like Regina had almost given up hope and they had starting to look into adopting another child. Now they both could only pray that this child would stay to the end of the term.

“I need to know that the job you do outside the hospital won’t put our child at risk, that you can guarantee it. I don’t want any harm to come to either of you,” Emma said, looking at her wife with worried eyes.

“I promise that I will do my best for that to happen, and I won’t travel as much due to it,” Regina said, knowing it was riskier working close to home. She also knew that she could always pause it for some time. She knew for a fact Maleficent had done so the first year after the adoption.

“Good and I will try to be home more so I can be there for you, Aurora and Henry,” said Emma, walking closer, taking her into her arms, holding her tight.

“How can you say that when I just saw the room with your recent case was put on the walls, I believe that won’t solve itself in a couple of days,” said Regina with a heavy sigh.

“I know that, but we are more than two people on it, hopefully it will not take that long,” said Emma optimistic.

“Just promise to try to at least be home more in the weekend and at night, I miss falling asleep next to you,” Regina admitted, pressing a gentle kiss against Emma’s cheek.

“I can promise I will do my best to do just that, and try to be there for Henry’s soccer games and fencing lessons,” Emma said, knowing to accommodate all that would be hard. She also knew it was either that or perhaps loose the one that she loved the most.

“Alright, I should probably take the children and leave, so you can work,” said Regina, with a heavy sigh.

“Or we can have a quickie right here, right now,” Emma said, giving her a grin.

“Wouldn’t your coworkers hear us?” Regina wondered, knowing the both could be quite loud.

“We would have to be careful, so what do you say, Mills, fancy a fuck?” Emma said, pushing some of Regina’s dark strands behind her ear, gently caressing her cheek on the way.

“Yes, very much,” Regina said, blushing shyly.

Emma leaned in, kissing her deeply, pushing Regina towards her desk, so the brunette sat down on it and she was between her legs. Regina let eager hands go to remove Emma’s light blue uniform shirt and push it to the floor. She quickly rid the bra as well, feeling along Emma’s abs, finding they were still there she let out a guttural moan into the kiss. She was perfect, just perfect, her Emma.

Emma smiled to this, letting go of Regina’s sweet lips to kiss her neck instead, enjoying how Regina’s hands explored her torso, finding it irony that no matter how many times Regina had done this over the years, it still felt amazing. She opened her white blouse and pushed it off along with her jacket and bra. She took a step away whispering, “Did you work out recently?”

“Yes, I try to keep fit for you,” Regina shrugged like it was nothing. Not admitting it was for both Emma and her job as an assassin.

“Fuck that is hot,” Emma whispered, kissing her neck again, lovingly this time.

“Well I can’t risk you are turning to the secretary for sexual favors, now can I,” said Regina, arching her neck to give Emma better access.

“Never, when I have the hottest woman in town,” Emma said, continuing to kiss her neck, feeling Regina squeeze her breast gently. One of her hands went down beneath the skit of her wife's legs only to remove her lingerie enough for her hand to caress over her most intimate area, noticing how wet she really was. Clearly Regina has been wanting her for quite some time. The blonde saw no use in trying to slow down now, letting two fingers slip inside Regina and working their way further in rhythmically. Regina on her side, pushed Emma closer adjusting them so she could suck on one of Emma’s breast while her nails gently scratched along Emma’s backside. She would fuck her later that evening if she kept her promise and came home early.

“Mmm, Gina,” Emma let out into her shoulder.

“Faster,” Regina let out, gently leaving a bite mark before switching breasts. The blonde didn’t need to be asked twice as she easily did just that, putting some pressure on her clit as well, working with Regina. The brunette didn’t take as long as she usually did to reach her high, her nails digging into Emma’s back holding onto her riding out her waves. The blonde did the same, resting against her, panting from the effort. She soon retracted her fingers, licking them clean, holding Regina for a while longer.

“Mmm, thank you,” the brunette whispered softly, her eyes closed as she wanted to preserve this moment.

“You are welcome, your majesty,” Emma pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, then her forehead.

“I should...get going,” Regina whispered, not letting go of her wife.

Emma smiled pressing some light kisses against the skin of her upper body, before she let her go, only to find her clothes and putting them back on. Regina did the same, before she said, “Maybe the four of us should go out to eat, then see that movie Henry wanted to see, Pokémon something.”

“Detective Pikachu, and I can do that. Reserve a table somewhere for six and we will see the movie at nine?” Emma wondered.

“Sounds good to me, and I want to stop by Ruby on the way home, to see if there is any change, if you take Henry and Aurora home?” Regina wondered, looking at Emma, “How do I look?”

“Amazing as always,” said Emma, going over to kiss her lips once more.

“I knew there was a reason I married you, Emma,” said Regina and put pressure on her name, before she asked, “Why did you send your boss to Ruby’s room?”

“I just thought that they could hit it off when she wakes up. I am not sure why I think Elsa could tame wild Ruby and Ruby could get her out of here, or open her eyes a little bit to other things than work, that is all. Besides I heard that when you talk to coma patients they hear and wake up faster,” Emma shrugged.

“You are aware she is decades older,” Regina pointed out.

“Have a little faith Regina,” Emma said in a soft tone, pressing another kiss to Regina’s forehead, adding, “A little faith it will all work out in the end.”

“I will try, I will text you about where we eat,” Regina said with a smile on her lips, she could hardly wait; it had been ages since they had been out to eat together.

Emma watched as Regina left her office, wondering what she would do without her, knowing she could test her theory if Regina was one of the killers if she stayed at home more, but that might not mean anything she knew. She sighed heavily walking back to the room where she set everything up.

* * *

“I want popcorn, the biggest one,” Henry said, as his moms opened the doors to the cinema. He was so excited, not only because of the movie itself, but it was the first time in forever both of his parents took time of to go out and eat and go to the movies with him and his sister. Regina even turned the phone of so she wouldn’t called into work.

His sister was quieter than he was, but still she said, “I would like a chocolate bar and a soda if that is okay?”

“Alright, you want one alone Emma, or should we share?” Regina asked polite, looking at her wife.

“We can share, but I want a soda of my own,” Emma said with a grin.

Regina nodded walking over to the counter ordering two of their biggest popcorn menus, a bag with snickers bites, a box with cotton candy and sodas, Emma came over to help her to carry all, smiling at her. It reminded her of one of their first date together which also had been at the movies. She had spoiled Regina rotten with candy. The other woman was a sweet tooth for sure. Emma made a mental note to somehow managing to get a chocolate bar and lay it out for her in the kitchen when she left in the morning. She knew it would make Regina feel loved.

She looked at their son that already started to eat of his popcorn, and their daughter that slowly unwrapped her chocolate bar, as Regina looked at the movie posters hanging in the hallway towards theater 3. Emma smiled at her, she suddenly seemed way younger as she walked next to Henry debating which Pokémon was the best. She preferred Mewtwo, whereas Henry’s favorite was Pikachu, and their daughter didn’t seem to have a preference but she thought Jigglypuff was cute.

“Care to weigh in, love,” Regina turned her head and looked at her with shining eyes.

“I am rooting for Psyduck myself,” said Emma with a smile, hearing the soundtrack of the greatest showman play, making her sing along, “All the star we steal from the night sky will never be enough, never be enough.”

A tear ran down Regina’s cheek as she looked at Emma with loving eyes. She loved her so much it sometimes hurt. She just wanted to keep her forever and ever, and she hoped she would be able to do that. She even prayed that she would be allowed to do that, that she would never get caught or that Emma wouldn’t be shoot in the line of duty. With what had happened to Ruby, time seemed so precious.

“I would give you the world if I could,” Emma said and smiled at her, leaning to let a finger dry away the tear that ran down the cheek.

“Oh Emma, you already have, as the three of you are my world,” said Regina, kissing her cheek lovingly.

“Not to interrupt or anything, but shouldn’t we go inside?” Henry asked, nodding towards the room where the movie was showing. Their daughter seemed eager to get in also, practically standing still.

“Yes of course,” Emma said, taking Regina’s hand, leading her inside and to their seats, Henry sitting one Emma’s right side and Regina on her left and Aurora next to her brother, easier that way since they were sharing their snacks. Regina gave Emma’s hand a gentle squeeze, looking at her with tender eyes, oh how foolish she was to love her this much, so very foolish she knew. She didn’t matter though, right now the only thing that did matter was that she was here, watching a movie with her slowly growing family, and that they were happy, she was _happy_, pushing the worries about Ruby and her jobs aside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter feedback is always most welcome :o)


	7. Chapter 7 Wake Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Ruby wakes up, Emma have to talk to a rape victim within the family, and Regina and Maleficent talk about their occupation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mention of rape !

** _Chapter 7 Wake Up Call?_ **

Elsa Winters was sitting by Ruby’s bedside; it was early morning hours. She had ended up spending every night the last couple of months there, or was it more? She wasn’t sure, she wasn’t even sure why she did this, talking to her, hoping she would wake, knowing the longer time passed the lesser was the chance it would ever happen. She talked to Ruby about the weekends she spent with her son, about her family, about her dog Olaf, about her favorite movies, troubles regarding work, worries about coworkers, the future. Worries about the case Emma was sure they would solve, but seemed much harder than it first seemed. She could see frustration in the younger blonde’s eyes grow day by day, but she was determined that even if it took years it would be solved.

“So determined that one,” said Elsa with a small laugh, looking at the other woman that lay there with closed eyes, seemingly sleeping, “You must think I am crazy for talking to you about all this, maybe I should just stop.”

She let out a sigh as she rubbed her temples. She was probably going crazy she knew. There was no way she would wake, and if she did, would she even remember anything Elsa had told her?

She was about to get up and go back to work, when she heard a heard a small voice say, “No, please…do…n’t…stop.”

Sergeant Elsa Winters eyes widened. Was she hearing this? Did this woman talk to her, or was she truly going crazy? Then again unlike most coma patients Ruby didn’t have any tubes of any kind going down her throat. They found she didn’t need it, she was breathing fine on her own. And it wasn’t that usual that someone that had been sleeping for that long had a voice, even a weak one. Still the Sergeant went over to the sink to fill a plastic cup with water, and carefully opened Ruby lips a bit, gently pouring just a few drops in. The brunette seemed to be swallowing, so she continued slowly until it was all gone. So, she was awake.

Ruby used a little time to find her voice before she said, “I am afraid that if I open my eyes, this, you are all going to turn out to be a dream; you…were never really here.”

“Feel free to open them. I am real, maybe old, and not so attractive, but still real,” said Elsa with a heavy sigh, suddenly terrified what the other woman would think of her.

Ruby smiled halfway, by now the swelling around her eye had gone down so she had no trouble opening them. She took a little time to focus, before she looked up at the woman that had talked to her for what seemed like forever, her blue eyes seemed kind and wise. She had her uniform on, but she seemed tall and regal, and Ruby guessed fit underneath. Her blonde hair in a tight ponytail, seemingly long, her lips red, she had piercing blue eyes, showing the early signs of crow’s feet on the sides. Still to Ruby she was one of the most beautiful women she had ever laid eyes on. Maybe she had been used to her voice, slowly falling for her when she had talked to her over the time period that had gone by. She smiled vaguely asking, “Can you take your hair out, please.”

The Sergeant did so, it reached almost to her waist and was strait with some small waves here and there. Ruby couldn’t even believe that this woman rather spend time in her hospital room than at home with her family. No, wait. Ruby recalled she mostly worked and only spent weekends mostly with her son, and her dog.

“Is there anything I can do for you, should I get the nurse, call your sister?” Elsa asked polite, not sure what the protocol was.

“Can I kiss you, or may I?” Ruby wondered, seeing the other woman look confused. Still she bent down, gently cupping her cheek, pushing her lips to Ruby’s, feeling all kinds of flutters inside. She felt Ruby in her weak state returned it, briefly, but as long as she could.

Elsa retracted, blushing shyly as she said, “I should really get the nurse and go home and let Olaf out. I am so glad you are awake, please stay awake.”

“I plan to, because I want to take you on a date, and meet Olaf and Storm, one thing before you go?” Ruby said, she struggled a bit with her speech still.

“Anything, love. Anything,” she said, knowing she would do anything for her.

“How long have I been here?” Ruby wondered, looking at her.

“A little over two months,” said Elsa honestly, adding, “I will be back tonight, I promise.”

“Wait. In my personal stuff, there is a ring most likely, with a wolf head on it. Wear it for luck. Plus means you are mine,” said Ruby with a smile. It gave her shivers to think about.

Sergeant Winters, found it and tread it on her finger, before going to find a nurse to tell them she was awake. She looked at the ring, quite unique indeed, wondering if this meant she was engaged.

* * *

Emma was smiling when she came into work that day. Not only had her wife woken her up by making love to her, she had also made a lunch pack with her favorite, grilled cheese sandwiches. She was humming, when her she met one of her partners, Killian at his desk for the morning update, saying, “Any news I should know about?”

“I think the boss lost it. She is smiling and humming and she got a ring on you know the engagement finger. I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone,” said he, shaking his head.

“I see,” said Emma and went to knock on the office door of her boss. Come in.” came the reply. She looked at the older woman, smiling from ear to ear, in a way to creeped Emma out. Not because she wants her to be happy, because she did, but it was the first time in the many years she had known her that she had seen her this…carefree. Normally she laughed at a joke, then her eyes seemed to go back to the worry and concentration. Now however she seemed genuinely happy.

“What can I do for you this morning?” the Sergeant asked polite.

“I was wondering if I could have a look at this rape case. Killian’s brother over at sex crimes asked for my help,” she said, as it was true, he had called the night before, needing a set of fresh eyes.

“I don’t see why not. You could use a break from our current project. I will call upon you if you are needed,” said Elsa with an approving nod. It wasn’t the first time the two units worked together.

“Thank you, also I hate to pry but..” she stopped, cursing on the inside by her poor choice of words, quickly adding, “Never mind it was nothing.”

“But?” Elsa pressed, raising her brows at her.

“The guys say you have gotten engaged, who is the unlucky bloke?” Emma said with a half-smile.

“Tell them to mind their own business and I cannot confirm or deny it for now, I will have to clarify it later,” said she with a small eye-roll.

“Noted, and congratulations,” she said, and vanished out the door, before the other woman could speak again. Once she got out of there, she walked over to Killian saying, “She is in love for sure.”

“That can never end well, and who in their right mind would take her on in any case? I mean she is sooo old,” said Killian with a frown.

“No, she isn’t, and she is still beautiful, and got more class than you. In any case, I am needed over at sex crimes, so see you later,” she said with a wink, heading back out, only to take the elevator down to the second floor where sex crimes had their offices. As soon as she walked inside and saw Killian’s brother Roger at his desk, debating heatedly with one of his coworkers Will. Emma reached them saying, “I am here, so shall we start?”

“Yes, the victim, he asked for you,” he said with a sigh.

Fear striking through Emma as she prayed it wasn’t Henry. Everything was going so well right now, and if it was him wouldn’t he tell her first? Still she put it aside, whoever it was she had to professional about it, and so she simply nodded, “Take me to him, please.”

Emma followed him to an interrogation room where it was sitting a young boy. His hair was colored white, although you could see his dark roots, and his dark eyes was looking down in the table he was sitting by. Emma estimated he was in his late teens or early twenties. Still she could not remember seeing him before, and so she said, “You asked for me, kid?”

“Yeah my moms said if I was in the city and needed help, I should call you; that you would help as you are family. I can’t reach my moms, but I remembered you worked around here,” he explained like it was the simplest things in the world. Emma knew better though, it surely couldn’t be if the kid was there.

“I see and who are your moms?” she wondered, although she had a vague idea.

“Ella and Margaret,” he said with a sigh, adding, “I spend time with auntie Vanessa also.”

“I see and what can I do for you?” Emma asked polite. Roger stood a bit in the background.

“I was at this party with some friends, we are here for a kick boxing championship. I had something to drink and I got really dizzy, so I went to lay down in one of the bedrooms. When I came to this other boy was … on top of me. It hurt,” he finished, looking shameful, adding, “I am gay, but I have a boyfriend, I didn’t want…that.”

“First, being gay is no reason for anyone to do that to you. Second, I promise you whoever did it will come behind bars. Have you been checked out at the hospital?” Emma wondered, treading carefully. She of course heard Regina mention her brother over the past few years, but she had never really meet him. To her knowledge the two had adopted him a couple of years back. After all he lived mostly as he said with Ella, wherever that was. The blonde however wondered why he hadn’t asked for her at the hospital already, but assumed he was too ashamed to do so. 

“Yes, he made sure they did that,” he nodded at Roger.

“Good, now all I need you to do is try to tell me most of what you remember where you were and so on,” Emma encouraged.

“I want mom,” he whispered, trying to hold his tears back.

“Alright, how about I try to get a hold of her, and we finish this when I do,” said Emma feeling bad for the kid. He nodded, trying to stay brave. It tore Emma’s heart apart as she walked out trying to call Margaret that didn’t pick up, then Ella, which didn’t pick up either. In the end she tried her wife that called her back in less than five minutes saying, “Missed me so much?”

“No, I need to get a hold of Margaret or Ella and neither is picking up. This is urgent. Will you try to call either and have them come down at the station? Something happened to Carlos, and they need to drop everything. I don’t care if they are in the middle of sex, killing someone or stealing or whatever they do, just get them here, now!” Emma said in a serious tone, before hanging up.

Regina called Maleficent three times before she picked up saying, “Black Raven, this isn’t really a good time.”

“I don’t care listen, something happened to Carlos, and he needs Ella, or you, so whoever can get to where Emma is first that would be great. She wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important so next time do us both a favor and pick up!” Regina said, annoyed, as she was with a patient when Emma had called. She hated dealing with this at work, trying to keep her two lives as far apart from each other as she could. It was then she vowed that no matter what assignment she was on always pick up on Emma, and if she was at the hospital in the middle of a surgery or something have someone call her and tell her she would be right there. Situations like this had to be avoided at all cost.

“My baby boy, will he be okay?” Maleficent asked, worry clearly showing.

“I don’t know, since I don’t know why he is there, minding me I need to talk to you. Any chance you can go to him now and then stop by at the hospital where I work round one? I have my break then,” she said with a sigh.

“Of course, and I will get Ella to come with me to the police station, then you for calling,” said Maleficent and hung up.

* * *

Regina couldn’t help but to wonder if having this child would be a bad idea. Maybe she should have an abortion, although it was starting to be too late and by now, she could clearly see her baby bump, and ideas of how the child would be was starting to form. She hated to admit she was excited about it, mostly because being so meant that she would have to stop working as an assassin for quite some time, and that was one of the things she loved the most. It was kept her alert and gave her some of her best thrills. Not only that, but she felt like she was doing people as favor, because some of the people she killed were not good people. Some were men or women that abused their partners, some even had a restraining order but didn’t care. She killed people that abused their powers in one way or another, she even been overseas a couple of times to kill people connected within politics or federal agents or people within the military branches.

She even done this within the first few months of her pregnancy. Now that she was about fourteen weeks pregnant and her bump was starting to show more clearly, she figured it was best to stay put. Even if it was best for her little family, it would make her restless and edgy, but she knew she just had to find a way to cope with it.

“Maybe you weren’t such a good idea after all?” she whispered, hardly audible. A tear running down her cheek, as a hand stroked over the little bump. 

Still deep inside she was excited about it, and she knew Henry, Aurora and Emma were too. She knew Henry could hardly wait to be a big brother for another little sister, and Aurora was excited to be a big sister. He had already used some of his saved up money to buy some clothes for the baby, sure it would be a girl as beautiful as his mother. He even got them some newborn size diapers. Regina found it very sweet, but at the same time she wondered if it was wise to be as attached to them as she was. After all, she knew all along the risk of getting caught was a high price to pay.

She knew the risk was even higher when she killed the men that beat up her ‘sister’, but the thing was, she didn’t care. They deserved it, mostly because Ruby had nothing to do with it at all. Another tear ran down her cheek as her phone rang again, she answered, “Regina Mills, how may I help?”

“We are calling from the hospital; you sister Ruby is awake. You were along her emergency contacts so I wanted to call right away,” said a male in the other end.

“Is there any after effects?” Regina wanted to know.

“It doesn’t seem so, we will keep her a few nights for observation just to be sure,” he answered.

“Good, I will be there later today,” said Regina, as she hung up, she couldn’t stop crying, now out of relief. She made it, and she most likely would be okay. This was the greatest news she had in a while and so she texted Emma that at once, before she walked back into the room where one of her patients were waiting.

* * *

It was a tired Maleficent that met her daughter later that day. The brunette gave her a quick hug, before she sat down on the bench next to Regina without her hospital. Regina looked at her with worried eyes, before asking, “Will Carlos be alright?”

“In time, but being raped it does something to his pride, not that it would have been different if it had been you or Henry, Aurora or Emma,” Maleficent corrected herself, quickly.

“Or you, I know something happened back when I was younger. You came from one of your trips, but you could hardly even hug me,” Regina said in a soft tone.

“A yes the death of Van Dyke,” Maleficent recalled with a nod, adding, “A lot went wrong with that one. I needed to get close to him to get the job done, I got too close. It is unfair to say I was assaulted, because I could have backed down. He died during the act, and I had to clean up the mess. I forgot something though, the security cameras in his building and I was called into question. Luckily, I could talk my way out of it, blame someone else that was in the elevator at the same time.”

“Still you keep doing it, just like I do. Why? You know that at any point it can go wrong and you will lose everything, but foremost your freedom,” Regina said, looking at her with an explanation.

“Because for every person I manage to get rid of, the world gets a little better or so I hope. Keep in mind some of the people we have killed over the years are human traffickers, people harming their spouses, cases where they police cannot intervene or chose not to,” Maleficent pointed out.

“Do you think I was wrong in taking down the ones that hurt Ruby?” Regina needed to know.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, as long as you think you did the right thing,” said Mal in a soft tone.

“I don’t know, mom, I don’t know anything anymore,” said Regina with a huff, looking away.

“This reminds me of when you were you were trying to decide your career, but that worked out fine. I sense you are worried about how your pregnancy will affect it all, and you are allowed to be. I was worried when I took you in, but up to now we have been doing fine, right?” Maleficent said, smiling at her, adding, “I am thinking about retiring in ten years or so. Even if I wanted to continue, age does not slow down not even for me. Getting slower is not an advantage for an assassin. Plus, I want to spend some of my still good year with my family. “

“It did work out fine, even if you were away a lot at times. I get it now, being in the same work myself. I am just afraid that one day Emma will find out the truth and she will put me away and turn her back at me. Still there is so many that still need my help,” said she, hearing her pager went off, “She was needed inside the hospital.”

“That reminds me, when you were young, how did you know how to find me, as I recall the dark web did not exist back then?” Maleficent said, knowing she should have asked this question years ago, but she never did.

“There was an add in the paper. I called your handler told me where you were. He gave me a description, I took a shot at it,” Regina said calmly. She remembered how she as a young girl pleaded the handler to give her Maleficent’s destination.

“I see, I cannot tell you what to do, or what choice to make. You knew when you decided to come with me on those first missions that this was a dangerous trade. You still know the dangers involved, that even if you go under the surface and stay low for a while, there is no guarantee’s Emma or some other cop will make the connection and take you in. The question is merely are you afraid to take the consequences when the day comes. I made my peace with it ages ago, but I will not go down without a fight,” said Maleficent in a serious tone, as Regina’s pager went off again.

“I got to go, drop by the house later, or are you dealing with the ones that harmed Carlos?” Regina wondered.

“I have yet to decide, but I think I shall let the police handle it this time and help him instead,” said Maleficent with a heavy sigh, she said, giving her daughter another hug before she let her go, watching her run into the hospital to save another life, seeing the irony of that as she later that month was schedule to take one. She sometimes wondered if she had made the right decision to bring Regina into this world.

Then again the younger woman was one of the best in her trade, in some areas more than herself. She didn’t know if the young woman would get away with it as long as she had, as long as their associates had. After all, Regina was more emotional and sometimes it made her irrational. Still she never missed on target or left a clue behind, so Maleficent knew she taught her well. She sighed as she knew she tried to call Ella again to tell her what happened to their Carlos, their little boy.

A tear run down her cheek, as she knew that he didn’t deserve this, that same way Regina didn’t deserve to be beat when she found her. She sighed deeply as she got up from the bench suddenly feeling old, then again she was slowly nearing her 60’s. Time flew by faster and faster. She pressed the dial button on her phone and hoped Ella would answer this time, she really needed her now, maybe even more than Carlos.

Ring…Ring…and answer, “Darling, what is going on?”

“I need you, Carlos and I both, but right now I need you,” she whispered, letting a soft sob escape her.

“Shh, I will meet you at the manor in twenty minutes?” said Ella in a soft tone.

“Yes, of course,” said Maleficent and hung up the phone on her end. She looked at her second phone. Her current background was herself and Ella making faces, they were much younger then. It had been taken in Hawaii, when they both were there on a vacation, slightly work related many years ago. They both had a blast. Come to think of it might have been a few years prior to when she adopted Regina, when they both were more carefree to a certain degree. She didn’t regret it though, as she loved Regina to bits, both her and Carlos. Ella and she had gotten him when Regina was old enough to manage on her own, and he stayed with Ella, which Maleficent would change now if that was needed. She slowly got in the car to drive to the old manor where she had spent most of her time when she was in town over the last years. Before it she didn’t really have a hope, but now that she did she knew she wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world.

* * *

Emma Swan was sitting at her desk later one evening, filing some paper work when she saw Ruby come in to the station, most likely for her daily visit with Sergeant Winters. She had done that every evening at the same time ever since the hospital released her. She had done physical therapy to get her muscles back in shape, other than that she was her old self, but a bit more skittish. She also was more cautious.

The blonde smiled at her saying, “Evening Ruby.”

“Evening, Em, she in?” insecurity in her voice. After all the woman was the leader of the pack and she could easily be called into meetings or be other places. She knew that every other weekend she was with her son, and Ruby had met the kid twice now, she really did adore him. Despite the fact he was adopted he had Elsa’s blonde hair and clear blue eyes, and the woman did clearly love him as much as he loved her.

“Yeah, just knock on the door, I am on my way out in not long, so have a good one,” said Emma and winked at her.

“Reminding me, how about you, Regina, Merida, her moms come to the club later tonight, gather the old gang?” she said and smiled at her.

“That would be great, I will talk to Regina and make the calls, I am sure Carlos can look after Henry and Aurora if they is up for it, or I will call a sitter,” said Emma excitedly, it had been waaay to long since they were out. The young boy had stayed with them after the accident.

“Great, great, that way I can try my new nonalcoholic drinks on your wife,” said the brown-haired woman and winked at her, before knowing and entering Sergeant Winters office.

“Hi babe,” said Ruby and smiled at the elderly woman, she was always in awe over how beautiful she looked.

“Hello dear, did I hear you talking to Emma about going out tonight?” said the other woman, frowning at her.

“Yeah, just you know getting the gang together, we used to when Emma and Regina meet back in the days, out friends became close because the two of them. You are welcome to come too,” Ruby said and smiled at her.

“I don’t know, that scene is a bit too noisy for me to be honest, plus I would feel rather old, and I am sure Emma wouldn’t want her boss there,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Please, just this once, babe, I want to dance with you, an if they complain I shall make sure they regret it. You are my woman and I want you there,” said Ruby in a very stern tone, leaning her hands on the desk, looking her right in the eyes.

“Well if you put it that way, I have no choice now do I?” the blonde Lieutenant asked with a small laughter.

“No. Shall we say round eleven,” said Ruby excitedly.

“I think that would be good,” said she, adding, “Now come over so I can kiss you.”

Ruby came over and straddled her lap, kissing her every so lovingly, feeling shivers of joy run down her spin, it was odd that this woman had such a hold on her, how in love she was, and how happy she made her. She couldn’t stop smiling when they were together, and she missed her when they were apart, and so she had decided to make it last forever, even if they didn’t get married. For right then though she was content with just making out with her, as she was a hell of a good kisser.

* * *

Emma was watching Merida dancing with Regina on the dance-floor, the brunette was smiling, and the blonde could see that the smile was genuine. She knew her wife was really enjoying herself as she was dancing, that she was in her right element. They used to do that a lot when they first meet, when Regina was in town and she wasn’t working late. She loved to see Regina dance. She was so graceful and a really good dancer. Emma on the other hand could dance, bit not to the same extent. She was getting a refill on her beer, and one apple juice for Regina, making sure it has ice cubes in.

Everything for the woman she loved above all. She could see Ella and Margaret was sitting by the table talking to David and Mary Margaret about something, making them laugh. She also saw Ruby and Sergeant Winters dance together, Ruby singing the lyrics even. The blonde knew she would always treasure this moment seeing everyone happy together, smiling, dancing talking. Making a mental image that would stay with her for years later, before she walked over to Regina, hoping that there wouldn’t be more disasters coming towards their little family.

Little did she know that disaster would strike again about eight years later. But for now, Emma interrupted Regina to give her drink. The brunette smiled and kissed her, taking it before walking over to the table to have a break from her dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this, feedback is always appreciated :o)


	8. Chapter 8 The end of their worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maleficent is taken in for questioning regarding the murder, while Regina is out of town. A piece of her backstory is revealed. 
> 
> This chapter is not for the faint-hearted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Description of Gang-Rape !!!

** _Chapter 8 The end of their worlds? _ **

Emma was looking at her sixteen-year-old son playing with his younger sister Hope, Aurora sat in one of the chairs reading. She could Regina whistle from the kitchen. Hope was just the sweetest thing, her hair dark as her mother and her brown eyes always filled with such excitement and curiosity. She looked at her two children playing with Lego’s, talking eagerly about building a fallen city of some kind like in the second Lego movie. The blonde loved that even if her bigger brother was so much older; Henry was never too busy to have time for his sister. Then again, he always made sure to have time for both of them if they needed him.

The blonde continued into the kitchen where her wife was busy over pots and pans, knowing she would be leaving later that night. Another job no doubt. By now Emma had stopped asking, she just accepted it, just like Regina accepted that Emma sometimes came home later than agreed upon. They in the end came to a mutual agreement regarding that after hope was born, even if both had slowed down a little when it came to their jobs. This say Emma wasn’t late home though, today the blonde was right on time, she walked over, letting her hands wrap around Regina’s waist, resting her head against her shoulder.

“Hi, dear,” said Regina, smiling, she loved when her wife was around, as she added, “How was your day?”

“Busy, took in some idiots, I wonder when people stop being idiots,” said Emma with an eye roll.

“You are asking me, I thought you were the authority on that field,” said Regina with a frown.

“Very funny love, very funny,” said Emma, pressing a kiss against her neck.

“Mm, you know I love you very much, right?” Regina wondered, insecurity in her voice.

“Mhm, I know, and I love you, always have, always will,” said Emma in a soft tone.

“If I got locked away, we lost all today, tell me honestly would you still love me the same. If I showed you my flaws, if I couldn’t be strong, would you still love me the same,” Regina sang, you could clearly her voice was shivering. Ever since she got Hope the fear of this was increasing, even if she knew the chance of that was so very small. She stopped her second occupation when she was fully pregnant and showing and up to their daughter was six months.

By then her handler had contacted her multiple times and she knew she had to make a choice, the choice of whether she was out for good or still in the game. She chose the latter, mostly because the money was good and she put them away for their children or emergencies.

“Always and forever,” Emma whispered, holding her tighter. She didn’t care what Regina had done or were doing, to her all that mattered was that she was hers. Her wife that she suspected was the prime suspect in the many folders that still lay open on her desk, if it was her, she wasn’t like any other killer. She didn’t fit the profile of someone so coldblooded, as she had a heart. Emma saw it each time she caught her looking at her, thinking she didn’t notice. Her eyes filled with love, admiration or both.

She saw it every time she cared for their children, or every time she cared for her family and friends in general. Emma had even seen her care for her patients, but maybe it was the same thing as with people in the armed forces. Heck even with her job, she had no doubt she could kill someone in the line of duty if she was forced to do that, and even if it had an impact on her, surely she wouldn’t be put in jail for it. So where was the difference? She decided to ask her boss the next day, surely she had to know being on the force longer than she had. The blonde planted soft kisses into her dark strands as she whispered, “I love you so very much, Regina.”

“And I you, more for each day, even if I don’t know how that is even possible,” said Regina with a sift sigh, closing her eyes, and letting her hands go back to hold her love close, she loved having her this close, it made her feel so safe and at peace.

“Mmm, you smell good, new shampoo?” Emma wondered, closing her eyes and staying in the moment.

“Yes, it is,” Regina answered, glad she noticed, knowing not many would.

“When are you leaving?” Emma wondered, not wanting to let her go.

“In about three hours, so no you won’t have time to ‘prove’ your love,” said Regina with a soft laughter.

“That is a shame,” said Emma as she let her go, adding, “I will set the table.”

“Thank you,” Regina said, kissing her cheek lovingly, watching her do it. She liked this the everyday things so many took for granted. Still to her it meant more than the world, to have someone that loved her spite her flaws, spite her wrong doings, knowing Emma did the same. As she went to put something back in the fridge her eyes fell on a picture of the two of them, her mothers, Merida, David, Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Elsa. It was taken three years earlier, while she was still pregnant with Hope.

It had been a perfect night that lasted into early morning, it had been round 7am before she and her wife returned home, Emma tipsy at least and she sober due to the baby, both giggling, both happier they had been in the longest time. Emma had made love to her ever so gently that night, then they had fallen asleep, wrapped up in each other, ignoring work for just one day. It had all been so perfect, spontaneous and still perfect.

She loved when that happened, although with two kids, and two jobs it didn’t happen that often anymore. Usually one stayed home and the other went out or both stayed home. Still it was a nice memory to have as she and Emma both needed a little time off from all the seriousness in their lives.

She put the remains of the cheese in the fridge and closed it as she looked at Emma, that was looking at her saying, “Remember that Henry has the dentist tomorrow, and Hope have a swimming class at four and Aurora ballet at six.”

“I will,” said Emma, knowing she wouldn’t forget even if she hadn’t told her.

“Put the food on the table, and I will get the little angels,” said Regina with a soft smile.

The blonde nodded as she put the salad, pasta and pasta sous on the table, along with a big bowl of cheese. As Regina and the kids came back and sat down, she said, “So who want to tell me about their day?”

“Henry meet a girl,” said Hope before her brother could say anything.

“Oh is that so?” Emma said as their son’s face turned into the shade of a tomato.

“Yeah, we have computer class together, she got transferred there, she is really cool, her name is Jennifer, but she goes by Jenny, and she has the cutest kitten, his name is Oliver. She showed me pictures of him,” Henry explained with a smile.

“That is sweet, so are you going to see her outside of class?” Emma wondered curiously.

“Maybe if we have assignments to finish,” he shrugged as it was nothing.

“I see, well you are more than welcome to bring her here,” said Emma and helped herself with some of the food and made sure to give Hope some and cut it in smaller pieces.

Aurora that had been listening up to now while helping herself with food looked at her older brother saying, “You got a girlfriend.”

“I do not!” he argued, but his face told another story.

“Do too,” she said, making kissing sounds at him.

“Children, please,” Regina said in a stern tone, as she helped herself as well, and slowly started to eat, wondering if it was time to get another pet, maybe it would be good for Luke with some company.

“Sorry,” they mumbled and focused on their eating, as Emma mimed a, ‘thank you,’ to Regina. The brunette smiled at her as she continued to eat.

Midway in the meal Aurora asked, “Will you be gone long this time?”

“I don’t think it should be much more than a week, love,” said Regina honestly.

“Oh, then you won’t be there for my ballet residual this time,” she said with a sad sigh.

“I am sorry, love, but I am sure Emma will come watch, and your grandma’s,” Regina said.

“No, cause ma is always working round those hours, it is very busy now,” said Aurora looking down in her food.

Regina shoot Emma that made her say, “I will be there, I promise, I will make it work.”

“And you need to bring flowers,” said Aurora in a matter of fact way.

“I will,” said Emma and smiled at her, knowing it was a ritual she and Regina usually had. Still she didn’t mind taking over while Regina was out of town.

“May I be excused I have some homework to do,” she said politely.

“Only if you give me a big hug,” Regina said, feeling sadness inside her, wondering if this was how a soldier felt every time they left for a mission.

Aurora finished up and walked over, giving Regina a big hug, her mother held on tight before she let her go, whispering, “I love there more than there is stars and planets.”

“I love you more than there are bugs and books,” Aurora whispered back.

“Call me anytime alright if there even is a small thing,” Regina said, kissing her cheek.

“Uh huh, and don’t forget me,” she said, before she ran towards the stairs, leading upstairs to her room. Regina looked after her, the young girl had wavy blonde hair much like Emma, and green eyes. She usually wore shirts with prints on, everything from superheroes to slogans. Today she was wearing one with Mulan, and that was how Regina would remember her, her little warrior.

Hope that was finished with her meal also, said, “I wanna play.”

Regina cleaned her up a bit before she lifted her out of her chair and down on the floor so she could play. Henry stayed for a minute longer, eating a second portion, then hugged his mother saying, “Be safe where you are going and come back to us, alright.”

“I will, my hero, take care of your sisters while I am gone alright,” she said and smiled at him.

“Always, and bring me back a chocolate bar, a bit one,” he said, and winked at her, before leaving the room. Regina held back the tears, wishing she was more professional about it like her mother. She never seemed to be this upset by leaving, but she had in the later years learned that she cried at the hotel in whichever city she ended up in. And she heard Ella crying whenever she took care of her when Maleficent was gone. They hated being apart from each other as much as she and Emma did.

“Emma?” she said and looked at her wife that was stuffing her face with her food as always.

“Yeah,” she said and looked at her.

“Remember when Hope was born, that was a crisp spring evening,” said Regina and smiled at her. She had been in a hurry, they hardly made it to the hospital in time. Emma had driven like a maniac, putting the siren on and everything. Regina thought she never felt pain like that before. She was sure that Hope would tear her apart, and she had, the brunette had to be stitched up after. She didn’t care though as she was so perfect, she still was.

“Of course I do, it was one of the happiest nights of my life, why?” said Emma with a soft smile.

“You said we should call her Hope, because she brought hope and promise for the future. That she was out light in the darkness, as long as she was here we would be okay, is that still a fact?” Regina said, looking at her, tears in her eyes now.

“Of course, but Regina even if we only had the other two, only if it was only us we would be alright. You are my world, and you will always be that, not matter what happens alright. Whatever you do when you are away, whatever you feel you have to do, as long as you feel you are doing it for the right reasons, I won’t hold it against you. I love you, good and bad,” said Emma in a loving tone, getting off her chair and held her close.

“Even if I killed a million people or it turned out I was a whore or a stripper, or had a gambling addiction. I am not saying that is what it is, but…” Regina said, holding on to her.

“Even then,” said Emma, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I love you so damn much Emma, I really really do,” Regina said, raising so she could kiss her hard. She held her close, not letting the kiss break for quite some time.

“I know, or else we wouldn’t be married with three beautiful children,” said Emma with a smile, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“True, I think I am going to go and play with Hope for a little while, then put her to sleep,” said Regina, letting go of Emma. The blonde didn’t even object as she started to clear up the table. When she was done she saw her love and their daughter play with the Lego’s on the floor, talking amongst themselves of hidden Lego worlds and hidden treasures. Emma pulled the phone out of her pocket and took a picture of them, before she went over to join the two.

* * *

It was early the next morning that Emma knocked on the door to her superior’s office. She didn’t get an answer at first and so she gently pressed the handle, it was open. She gently pressed it, and found Elsa sleeping across the desk, meaning she most likely had been there all night, but why?

“Boss?” Emma said, raising her voice a little.

“What, oh?” Elsa Winters come quickly to her senses, realizing where she was. She brushed some strands away from her face and said, “What can I do for you, Swan?”

“I have a question about the possible serial case or cases, I know it is put a bit on the back-burner, still there is something that came into my mind last night,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“I am listening,” said the older woman, motioning for Emma to sit down in the chair opposite her desk.

“Well say I am right, even if I am going on a hunch, that there is a serial killer and it is a hit-man or woman, what makes those killing from say you killing someone in the line of duty. If that person mean they were doing the right thing, if that person thought they would get rid of someone that didn’t deserve to live for whatever reason. Which in many of these cases seems to be the case. I have managed to track down the next of kind, which told me that they contacted a service that guided them to someone called the black dragon or the back raven, the best you can find. No one has meet them or talked to them in person. Never matter that, but what makes them different from what we are doing here, if they protect people as well in a manner of speaking,” Emma finished.

“Because Emma in a way they are vigilantes and if we let them get away, it is the same as saying that anyone can shoot anyone for whatever reason,” she said with a heavy sigh, adding, “Wait did you say black dragon?”

“I did, why?” Emma wondered curiously.

“Back in the days, when I went to the academy there was talk about an unseen killer that was an ex-army something gone rouge. Her nick name was the Black Dragon because she had a tattoo of a dragon on her left shoulder and she could be seductive and deadly as a dragon. Of course, it was just talk you know, and urban myth, but if that person is still alive she has to be around my age or a little older. And that is if that is the same person, I mean the dragon if there even is one can easily passed down the trade through generations,” said Elsa thoughtfully. She wondered why she hadn’t thought about it before. After all she knew they were hunting for two possible hit-men or women, could this be a duo that formed through more than one generation, after all it seemed to be a difference in their patterns.

“Is there any chance you can find out who she is, make some calls to the army or anyone, someone has to have known her back then,” said Emma, hope in her voice now.

“I can certainly try, but even if they do, she can have changed appearance by now, and there is no way to find out where she hides out,” said Elsa frustrated. For years they had been working this case, and still they were not any closer to finding the person or persons they were looking for.

“I know, but if someone knew her back then and maybe we could use an age rendering program and she what she would look like now. Even if she changed her face, her eyes wouldn’t,” said Emma, adding, “Did you sleep her last night by the way?”

“I did, Ruby and I had a stupid fight, and I figured it was late so why bother go home. I will call and fix it later, so don’t worry,” said Elsa, confident.

“I see, well I better head out, Merida and I are on patrol today, will do some of the paperwork later, see if I think of something else,” the blonde said and she went out in the open office space to find her redhead partner.

* * *

Elsa seldom went out in her lunch break, but this time she for a change did, she needed to talk to Ruby and she knew she was most likely still at the nightclub. The woman practically lived there, just as she lived at her job, which was what they fight had been about. And the older woman didn’t like that Ruby as a bartender seemed to flirt with half of her customers, even if she trusted her. She was worried that one of the customers would go too far and she wouldn’t be there to protect her when that happened. Of course, the argument had gone off the tracks and both had said some things they shouldn’t.

Now the blonde felt the door handle, it was open and so she went inside, seeing her lover sleep over the counter, a wash cloth in hand, dark rings under her eyes. She smiled as she walked closer saying, “Ruby?”

“5 minutes longer, granny, please,” Ruby let out, not even half awake.

“Granny, sure I am old, but…” Elsa from, laughing heartfelt.

Her laughter woke Ruby back to life and she beamed at her saying, “Oh hi, what are you doing here, Ice Queen?”

“I wanted to apologize for the harsh words last night, the thing is that I am worried that someone will take advantage of you, and I won’t be there when it happens. I know you are strong and can fight for yourself, but someone will be stronger still, in the future,” said Elsa, worry in her voice now.

“I know, and I understand your concern, still I promise you I am careful, and I shall do my best to flirt less, alright, but you need to promise to cut down a bit on work, I feel like I hardly see you anymore,” said Ruby sighing heavily.

“I will try alright, as I want to spend time with you as well,” the older woman admitted.

“Besides I don’t like that you are hanging around all those people in uniforms,” the brunette wrinkled her nose.

“It does nothing for me, or I wouldn’t worked within the field, I have ever even been tempted to date a fellow officer. Also I would never cheat, I simply have no time or desire to do so, you know that right?” Elsa said, looking her right in the eyes.

“I do, still I always worry you will find someone that you like more than me. What if a few years from now I am not as young as now and you will find someone you like more than me, someone younger than me,” said Ruby, feeling lost in Elsa’s sparkling blue eyes. She loved this woman so much, more than she or words could explain.

“That won’t happen, as I love you for more than your looks. I on the other hand is worried you will find someone on your own age in the future and end it with me,” said the older woman, taking Ruby’s hands in her own.

“Never, I would never find a woman as beautiful and strong as you. How about we, Olaf and Sven go up to the old cabin this weekend. Have some alone time and relax?” Ruby suggested.

“I can agree to that, if we leave early Friday, we will avoid traffic,” Elsa said with a soft smile.

“Great!” Ruby exclaimed, it had been way too long since they had a weekend away together.

“I need to get back, but I will come to your apartment round eleven tonight, if that is alright?” Elsa wondered.

“I will be there,” said Ruby, leaning over to give her a kiss and a wolf whistle on her way out.

* * *

Once the Sergeant came back, she started to call the one she knew was head of the armed forces, August Booth. They had some dealings over the years where one murder or something else crossed over the lines. Elsa knew of course that the Fed’s most likely would soon be involved if they took in a suspect to an interview for their cases, as they expanded over more states than theirs. He soon picked up and she told him what she was looking for and he said he would try to get her the information during the day.

Elsa took a blank piece of paper and started to draw a black dragon; she saw the irony that she herself had one tattooed crawling over her shoulder blades. One that murmured against a white one. The white spewing snow the other fire. Back when she was at the academy it was quite common to get them, of course hers were more extensive than most. A deep breath as she thought of how many women that would have a dragon tattoo and fit the descriptions some of the witnesses gave. Then again, she couldn’t rely on them knowing if this was a hit-woman she was likely to change disguises along the way.

“What drove her to it?” Elsa wondered as she wrote some words on the paper, trying to make a picture of this woman. What made her kill the first person? Had someone abused her in some way, or was it just because she could? Was she married; did she have children on the side? Did she train her children in this?

Elsa was positively sure it was a woman; she didn’t know why but she was sure of it. She took a sip of her now cold coffee and wondered what she would have done to protect her family or a fellow man if they were in trouble. She would easily give her life for the force or Ruby. Would this woman come freely or fighting when she knew there were no more options? She could only hope so, knowing that most likely was not the case.

She startled when there was a knock on the door and Emma poked her head in saying, “I got to go, pick up the children, see you tomorrow.”

“Alright, have a good evening,” said Elsa and smiled at her.

“You too, did it work out with Ruby?” Emma wondered curiously.

“Yes, we are all good,” Elsa nodded. Emma smiled at her as she closed the door just as her phone rang, it was August telling her he had three possible options that fit the description she was looking for, he was sending over their files with pictures and everything to her mail.

Elsa thanked him and hung up, printing out the files as soon as she got them.

She quickly read through the papers, one Juliette Walters that had been discharged after breaking the nose and the arm of a fellow officer. It said that she did that due to he had tried sexual offenses and she had it. He also got discharged when they found she wasn’t the only one he did it too. Elsa found her files after the army, she was now married and had two children, and worked as a trainer in self-defense and martial arts. She hadn’t been a good shooter according the papers though, mostly because she preferred arm combats and didn’t see the need of a weapon.

Second was a Gina Rosen, she had served for some years then found she was pregnant and chose to end her career in the Air Force and then focus on being a full-time mother. She had later worked as a pilot for an airplane company so she checked out as well.

Elsa took a deep breath as she opened the last folder, an Adalinda Devon, on the picture taken back in the days she smiled, her blonde hair in a braid, her eyes blue as the sky on a clear day, all full of optimism. The woman was a Navy Seal it said, those were trained killers Elsa knew. She was on one of her first missions when everything went wrong according to the folder.

She was the only woman on this mission and the men had meant to toughen her up, prepare her for the hard army life. She had managed to crawl through mud, climbed walls and carry as much as they did. She was even a faster runner according to the file. Clearly they couldn’t take it. The mission lasted for four days, and they had a small wooden shed as a safety place.

Outside this shed two had stood guard as the others took time raping her, to have her five up and quit. Only she didn’t, when the last one was done they left her to start a fire and make some food, laughing, high-fiving. Elsa could only guess that this woman miraculously used her last powers to get up and go out of there, grasping one of the riffles by the wall and shooting half of them. The rest had to testify to what they had tone. The court found sympathy with her, most since the injuries was so extensive she would never bear children and the bruises on her elsewhere was enough to make you cry. It was a miracle she survived, then she vanished without a trace. Since she had no family no one had bothered looking for her after that.

Elsa started on a sketch imagining the woman older with similar futures, she even drew a black dragon behind her, then she took the picture and used the data rendering. The data rendering and her drawing almost matched up, the woman she was looking at was one of Regina’s mother, Margaret Davenport. She didn’t have any evidence, still she decided to bring her in the next day, it couldn’t hurt to try to see how she reacted to the questions at least. After all this wasn’t exact science, still it didn’t hurt to talk to her.

* * *

Emma couldn’t even remember falling asleep until the doorbell ran early the next morning, she looked at the 7am. Who could be at the door this early, she walked out the peep hole, seeing her boss and two of her fellow officers. What was going on?

The blonde tried to remember if she talked to Elsa the night before, but the woman hadn’t called her. This had to be about the serial killer case, but if someone in this house was involved wouldn’t she have given her a heads up? Probably not though, as she was too close to it.

She heard the doorbell again, and this time Margaret came down the stairs asking, “You are not going to open?”

“I am not sure if I should,” said Emma as it rang for the third time, seeing Ella and the children appear, leaving her no choice.

“Elsa, what are you doing here?” Emma asked, feeling a lump form in the pit of her stomach.

“We are here for Margaret,” said Elsa Winters in a serious tone, looking at the six family members, this was what she hated about her job. Tearing families apart no matter the reason.

Margaret stepped down, Ella alongside with her, the blonde looked at them saying, “What is this about, because I don’t even remember having as much as a parking ticket?”

“You are under suspicion for several murders, will you please come voluntary so I won’t have to cuff you in front of the children,” Elsa said in a low tone so the children wouldn’t hear.

“I see, Ella will you call Lance and have him meet us down at the station?” she said calmly, looking at her love, that seemed worried.

“Of course, don’t say anything until he is there,” said Ella, watching as they took her love away, going to make the call, tears in her eyes. Had it really come to this.

Emma’s three children looked at her with questioning eyes, Henry daring to ask, “What did grandma do?”

“I am sure it is nothing, my loves, this has to be a big misunderstanding,” said Emma in a loving tone, cursing on the inside at Elsa for putting her in this situation. She changed the subject saying, “Is your mouth still feeling sore after the dentist visit today?”

“It is alright now, but do I have to go to school, I have a math test today,” he said with a groan.

“You do, school is very important, tell you what if you all manage to get dressed really fast and behave in school today, I will take off early today and take you to the movies, maybe we can even have ice cream later?” she said with a gentle smile.

“Yay,” Hope yelled as she started to run up the stairs. Henry shook her head, and Aurora gave her a look telling her this was not okay. The blonde cursed under her breath, wondering how she hadn’t made the connection before, knowing that Margaret had a black dragon tattoo on her shoulder. Especially after she and Elsa talked the day before. She felt frustrated that she didn’t think of it then, that her suspicions might be right. She quickly found her phone calling Regina, the brunette didn’t answer. She tried again and again, before she gave up, slamming the phone hard in the wall it broke into a million pieces. Screw Regina for leaving and letting her stay here alone, dealing with this, angry tears running down her cheeks.

“You are aware breaking your phone won’t help this?” she heard Ella’s voice behind her. She looked at Emma with worried eyes.

“I know that and I will get a new with the same number on the way to work, how can you be so calm about this?” Emma asked looking at her.

“Because I know they most likely can’t prove anything so they will have to let her go,” said Ella, still calm. She wasn’t on the inside though; her mind was racing to the fact that this time Mal might have to do the time for her crime and she would visit her behind the bars from now on.

“I hate that she isn’t here,” Emma said, taking a deep breath.

“I know, but you knew that when you married her, Emma, still you did and choose to have three children. Do you love her any less than you did back then?” the older woman asked.

“More, but I am tired about worrying about her wherever she might be, I am tired of spending time alone” Emma said tiredly.

“You don’t think she worries the same way you do, whenever you are on patrol or you come home late. Whenever she sees how a case affect you, whenever another officer dies in the line of duty. Every time you are not here?” Ella tried to reason, knowing that was exactly what Regina did.

“I actually never thought about it, and I am careful,” Emma admitted.

“Then maybe you should think about it, because every time she is away it gets harder and harder for her, she is scared that she will come home and you won’t be there, either because something happened in the line of work or because you found someone else. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go over there to be there for my wife,” said Ella in a tired tone, she wasn’t sure she was strong enough for this, still she knew she had to be. She wasn’t even sure how she would explain it to Carlos if Mal was jailed, still she hoped for that not to happen right then.

“Can I borrow your phone first,” said Emma. Ella handed it over and Emma wrote a quick text to Regina about her phone being broken and she would text her later on, that they were fine, that she just missed her that was all. No need to worry her more for now. She handed the phone back and went upstairs to change clothes, and checking on the children. Once she did, she found that young Hope was dressed in a superman outfit, because of course girls could also save the world, Henry and Aurora had their uniforms on, all three ready.

She could still see they were worried and went over to them saying, “No matter what happens we will get through it together, you know that right?”

They nodded and Hope went to her bed finding her favorite bear saying, “Give that to grandma please, so she will be less afraid in jail.”

“I promise I will,” said Emma with a serious nod, finding the gesture sweet, knowing their children loved Margaret beyond measures. She got them downstairs and to school and kindergarten before she drove to work, figuring this day would be as busy as the previous one, and she just hoped her mother-in-law would alright and that she could leave early to not break another promise. A dozen thoughts going through her head as she drove towards the precinct.

* * *

Meanwhile Maleficent was sitting in an interrogation room waiting for her lawyer Jake Lance, not as much as making a frown, knowing they were looking at her through the two-sided mirror. There was no way she would let them see how she worried right now. Could they have evidence against her or were they going on a hunch? Surely, she hadn’t screwed up one of her jobs?

Finally, Elsa, another officer and her lawyer entered, the black man sat down next to her, they exchanged looks, as Elsa Winters sat down across from them saying, “State your name please?”

“Margaret Davenport,” said Maleficent without much emotion.

“So you are not born Adalinda Devon?” Elsa asked, eyeing her, the woman seemed completely without emotion of any kind.

“What if I was, people change their names all the time,” Maleficent shrugged easily.

“On what grounds is she here?” her lawyer asked, giving the Sergeant a look.

“We will get there, but were you born as Adalinda?” she asked again.

“I was yes, but I haven’t used that name in forever, that is not who I am anymore,” said the blonde with a shrug.

“Care to talk about what made you change it?” Sergeant Winters asked polite.

Maleficent whispered something to her layer and said, “It should be in my folder, but fine. I remember we were sent on a secret mission, the General wanted to see how we were in the field. He told the Sergeant and us the details. We were put down behind enemy lines and had a small house if you can call it that as safe house. We were supposed to free some hostages taken by the enemy and then leave.

We divided into two teams, one to go behind enemy lines and free them, and another to stay behind and open fire if they followed us. We arrived in the afternoon and were going to set the plan in motion round midnight. We ate around 5 pm or so I think. I was put in the team that was supposed to go over the enemy lines as I was the fastest and also good at other things. No need for the details on that. Only Derek, one of the show off’s, alpha males, he couldn’t handle that I was there, that I was better than him. He told me that to prove I was, even if there was no need I had to stand my ground at all time. I told him to fuck off, told him that I always did, that I didn’t even fail my shooting tests he did. I never missed on target. Of course he couldn’t handle that, he got two men to hold me down while he….tore my pants of and you can guess the rest. He didn’t show any mercy, the two that held me just laughed, then took their time, then five more, taking their time to do what they wanted, fucking me in her both holes. They even used other things than their dicks. Like a wooden plank, a bottle and the end of a riffle. It hurt so bad I wanted to scream. In the end I just distanced myself.

When they were done, they went outside patting each other on the back saying, “She will dead by morning.”

I was bleeding badly and hurting all over, but there was no way I would look week. I somehow got my pants on and on shaky legs walked to the door, grabbed the nearest rifle, the one they raped me with and shot them all but two. I left the opposite team and the guards by the door be. I knew there was no coming back from that, even if they should let me go due to the previous events there was no way I would continue being a seal. The doctors that examined me, they also told me that the damages done was so severe I would never carry a baby. It crushed me as I wanted nothing more than a child. I got a discharge and that night I left swearing no man would ever overpower me again. Thus far no one has.”

Elsa Winters swallowed hard, it was like she seemed emotionless while talking, still her eyes showed another story. She clearly had no regret about shooting the men that harmed her, and the Lieutenant knew she wouldn’t have if she was in the other woman’s footprints either. She sighed saying, “I am sorry that happened to you, where did you go after that.”

“I went all over, taking small jobs here and there, meet the woman I am now married to, I felt lost until I met her. It was like they took away my soul and my heart, like nothing was left by a hollow room inside. She helped me through it, and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her. Then I came here as I saw there was an opening at a law firm, a secretary position, I applied and got it. It was not long after that I found Regina and since she was left to fend for herself, I chose to take care of her, she is now as close as to me as any child I could have on my own. We made a home and therefore I had no use for leaving,” Maleficent said calmly.

“Understandable, but I can see you travel quite often,” Lieutenant said, looking through her folders.

“I did in the beginning to visit my wife as she moved around a lot, then since I don’t work full time, I found that travelling around helped when I got panic attacks and so on. I struggled a lot with it after what happened. I don’t see how that is a bad thing,” Maleficent said in a sharp tone.

“It is when you have been sighted in a city near where a murder is committer, and you claim you never miss a target,” said the Lieutenant.

“I am sure I have, but that doesn’t mean I killed anyone, besides I am sure a dozen others were in those places also and are good with a rifle, why not go after them?” Maleficent said.

“We will, but not all have a false identity like yours, any reason why you seemingly leave no tracks,” said the Lieutenant looking her right in the eyes.

“If you had been through what I did when I was younger, I think you would do the same. I didn’t want anything to hold me back, I wanted to start fresh wherever I came, and in these times, you don’t know who are watching you,” said Maleficent with a shrug.

“I see, you wouldn’t mind if we searched your house then, look at the possible weapons to exclude you,” said Elsa, surely that should scare her.

“Go ahead, I got nothing to help, if that will ease your mind,” Maleficent said, knowing they could search the house all they wanted, but they wouldn’t find anything. Everything she and Regina used for their hits was stored elsewhere or in a secret room in the mansion you wouldn’t find if you didn’t know about it. She wasn’t sure if Regina had even showed it to Emma, and if she had if the blonde would hold her tongue. Still if they should find it, she would admit to it and do her time. Fair was fair after all.

“I hope we don’t mind we put you in a holding cell while we search the premises,” said the other woman.

“I have been worse places, if I could just ask for a glass of water, I am thirsty,” she said politely.

“Alright, Ventress make sure to follow her to the cell and give her some water,” Elsa said. He nodded and led her away to the cell then found her a glass of water. Midway in the interview Emma had come and she was now watching from the other side of the mirror with and FBI agent. He looked puzzled. Winters soon joined them saying, “So what do you two think, is she guilty?”

The FBI agent that gave Emma thee creeps said, “She is cold and emotionless so it wouldn’t surprise me. I suggest as you said search the house and see what you find, if not let her go and keep an eye on her.”

“You could have given me a heads-up you know, I do after all live in that house as well,” Emma hissed in Elsa’s ear, so he wouldn’t hear. She knew she might be interrogated as well, which tempted her to take the children and leave.

“You know I couldn’t do that, Swan,” said she with a heavy sigh, seeing the agent walked ahead of them.

“You are aware if you are right, and you bring her in you tear apart two families, is it worth it?” Emma asked.

“What choice do I, do you have, you know I cannot pick this, she did if she is the one,” her superior said calmly.

“How long will the search take, I don’t want the children to come home to a messy house, tell them to whatever and try to leave it as it was. Give us that cutesy,” Emma pleaded.

“I will see to it is done, considering the house we hope to be done by nightfall, you don’t have anything to hide, do you?” the other woman said.

“You know I don’t! Here is the fucking key, knock yourself out!” Emma hissed, taking it off her key-chain, walking away, she was fuming and right now she couldn’t be near the station or any of her coworkers. She might end up say or do something she might regret. She walked towards the elevator taking it down to the zero floor where they had their gym. She went to her locker and changed into her training outfit, she always had one there in case she needed it. Now being one of these times.

* * *

She quickly changed and went out to one of the punching bags, hitting and kicking it as hard as she could, until she run out of energy. Then she sank to the ground letting an animalistic scream escape her. Fuck it, fuck this, fuck the secretaries in this family. She hated it, she hated it so very much. Oh how she hated it. Angry tears rushing down her cheeks as she heard Merida’s voice behind her, “Breathe, Emma, breathe.”

“Please go away,” Emma whispered, defeated.

“When my best friend is suffering, not a chance,” she said, sitting down next to her.

“I hate this, mostly because now everyone here will not trust me for a long time, AIB will probably call me in also,” Emma whispered, tears stinging in her eyes.

“It will work out, Emma, I know it will,” said Merida, pulling her close.

“No, it won’t, I have a bad feeling about this, a really bad one,” Emma whispered, holding on to her as she continued to cry, holding on to her. She didn’t know why but she felt that this was the end.

* * *

Regina was worried out of her mind, she hadn’t talked to her family while she was gone, when she tried to call back there was no answer, not with her children, not her wife and neither of her parents, something was wrong she just knew.

She took a cab to the house, only to find it empty, no notes no nothing, it was 8pm and the children should at least be home. Were there some random sleepover she didn’t know about. She went to the quarters where her parents lived, finding that vacant as well, it didn’t seem like they had lived there for a week. A lump formed in the pit of her stomach.

She put her suitcase down, found her car keys and drew to the nightclub, hoping Ruby was there and could shed some light on it. The brunette felt the door, it was open and sure enough, Ruby was behind the counter, doing inventory by the looks of it. She walked over, her voice shaking, “Have you any idea where to find my family?”

“Think Emma and the kids are at Merida’s. No she is not having an affair if that is what you are thinking. Elsa came for your mother, she had her down at the station for twenty-four hours before she let her go. She stood her ground of course. It became too much for Emma she lost it and couldn’t be alone, she was so scared for you, and everything and the only way to make her calm was to let her stay with Merida. Your moms are in a hotel for now, they needed some distance to recover from whatever is going on. No one will tell me anything, simply because they can’t,” Ruby answered plain and simple.

“I understand, can I have a shot of gin please,” said Regina sitting down on a stool. Why hadn’t anyone called her regarding this, was it because they were afraid that someone would tap the lines. That had to be it. Still if they let her go she should be out of danger for now. Regina drank the shot without as much as grimace before she walked back to her car, driving to Merida’s. She had been there before over the years, and got into the building because someone that lived there was going in at the same time. She took the elevator up to the twenty-third floor and rang the doorbell. Merida opened her looking at her surprised.

Regina only managed to get out, “My wife, please, I was told she was here.”

“Emma, it is for you,” Merida yelled into the apartment. Regina heard the footsteps and soon saw her wife appear. The blonde practically threw herself at her, hugging her hard, whispering, “You are back, you are finally back.”

“I am, can we please go home, it has been a long week,” said Regina with a heavy sigh.

“Yes,” Emma said, and went to pack the things belonging to them and grab the children. Regina thanked Merida and with that they were on their way, she vowed to herself to be even more careful from now on.


	9. Chapter 9 Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergeant Winters have Maleficent and Regina cornered, finally having set a trap for the killers they have hunted for a year. Things however doesn't go after plan for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It could be wise to have a tissue close by for this chapter, at least I did while writing it.   
This chapter is seen from four pov which was a fun challenge.

** _Chapter 9 Trapped_ **

** _10 Year’s Later. _ **

Maleficent didn’t quite know how it came to that point. To the point where she took a bait to a trap set by the police. Maybe it was that she was old and thought better of the person in the other end. Or maybe it was because she decided it was her last mission, her last job, then she and Ella was moving to live closer to Carlos. Even since the rape years earlier he had never been quite the same. Still he had married and they had two smaller children. She wanted to be there for them like she had been there for Emma and Regina’s children. She wanted to live out her days someplace warmer, she had already booked the ticket and packed up her things she and Ella both.

She knew as the police snipers was aiming at her thought back to that they let her go years back. She knew Regina was out of sight, having her back if they started shooting. She looked at Lieutenant Winters she now had estimated was a few years younger than herself, her blue eyes shining like fire, was that how she looked when she a prey?

Up to that day she had pushed the rape behind her, she hadn’t thought much about it the later years, she couldn’t because she knew that when she did, she would fall apart. That was what happened in the holding cell. If Emma hadn’t come by later, she would have done something stupid she was sure. The younger blonde had sent Ella home, after all she could not stay in the holding cell with her.

The grilling with question continued the next morning, but since they couldn’t find anything at the house, they let her go. She stayed low for over a year, letting Regina take the jobs that came by and she would stay with the children, keeping in contact through encrypted mails or messages. Emma hadn’t been happy with this, asking Regina if she couldn’t simply stop her second job, for her for the family. She had managed to go out less kills over the years, but as the children grew older she was hunting more frequently. She also knew that Regina had done some mercy killings at the hospital, nothing that could trace back to her, but she felt sorry for some of the patients that pleaded that she took their life. Maleficent was glad her daughter had such a big heart, and showed mercy to those that deserved it. She knew all too well life could not be fair. Still as she stood looking into the eyes of Elsa Winters, she knew she would not walk out of there alive. There was no way she would survive in prison.

“Please put down the rifle,” Elsa said, pleading, gun the trigger. She would not back down, not when she finally had the woman she had hunted for years, and this time she could prove it. Still she would hate to shoot her, having gotten to know her over the years. The two had been together in social settings more than once. She knew how much Maleficent loved her family and her children, she would give her life for them to be safe. She could even understand how it came to this considering what was done to her in the past.

“You know I can’t do that, Winters, we both know I don’t belong in jail,” Maleficent said with a heavy sigh. So this was it, there was no way back. One bullet and her life would be over. She took a deep breath as she pulled the trigger, aiming next to Elsa, she would never hit her, or the rest. Before Elsa could demand them to stop a bullet flashed into the other woman and made her fall to the ground. She watched in terror as Regina appeared next to her mother whispering, “I am here, please don’t leave.”

“It is my time to go, please take care of your family and remember I love you…always,” Maleficent whispered weakly feeling how her life slipped away. Regina howled out in pain, without thinking she took the dagger in her belt, dragging it over her mother’s chest, cutting through the fabrics, reaching in taking the heart and squeezing it, a desperate way to try to bring her back to life. It didn’t work and so she sat there next to her body with a still heart in her hands, crying.

Sergeant Winters looked at her in horror, telling one of her men to get Emma inside. The blonde was ordered to wait outside due to her relation to the suspect. The blonde had not taken no for an answer when Elsa told her she couldn’t come with. Now however that it was all over, she knew that her most trusted officer was the only that could get her wife to move.

Emma Swan Mills came inside seeing her wife on the ground, her mother’s heart in her hands howling like a wounded animal of pain. She looked at her boss saying, “I won’t let you take her in.”

“You know I have no choice; she is a killer like her mother was,” Elsa said with a heavy sigh.

“Look at her, she is broken beyond measure, she won’t put of a fight, she lost the person that meant the most to her over the years, the last person she considered a parent. She has lost everything, you cannot take her freedom also, please for once show you have a heart,” Emma argued, not even sure how to approach her wife at this point. How could she come back from this.

“You know I can’t do that, Emma, should I go and cuff her or should you?” Elsa said, giving her a stern look, even how much she hated this she knew she had to do this. It was only fair, she knew it was, yet this time it didn’t feel fair at all.

* * *

** **

** _48 Hours Earlier_ **

Regina looked at the boxes around her house, the moving wan her mothers had hired would come in about two days later, in the afternoon. She and Maleficent had one last job to do, it was in town. Both knew it would be risky still they had accepted or Maleficent had, saying it was her last one, ever. She was moving to be closer to Carlos and his family, leaving the manor to Regina and her family. Regina said that even if she would miss them, she did understand.

She knew that her brother still struggled somewhat after his attack years prior. She had even visited him more than once over the years due to it. She planned to go over a couple of months after her mothers had set up, to see their new house, their new life. She knew that they deserved it, living out their retirement some place warm, travel together and simply live a normal life. Regina couldn’t quite picture them doing it, still she knew that if anyone deserved it being happy with no more worries it was her mother.

It was now a rainy Friday and she expected Hope home from school any minute, Henry and Aurora still lived out the house even if they now had jobs. At least Henry did, Hope was trying to get an education within the navy so she was home when she was on leave. She was proud of all of them for doing so well, even when she had been gone from time to time they had all done well in school, meaning they could get in wherever they wanted, and so they did.

It had surprised her that Aurora went for the navy instead of going for something within the field of dance. She however said that she wanted to have dance as a hobby, rather than work and both fields demanded much discipline, which her mother realized was true. Still after learning about her mother’s past in the navy seal, Regina had some doubts to let her daughter go in that direction. She and Emma both had, but they knew they had to let go and hope for the best, and up to now it seemed to work out just fine, their daughter couldn’t have been happier. She sent them snaps with her fellow officers every once in a while. She had also fallen in love with one of them, Mulan, she was a year older and the two of them did everything together.

As for Henry, he had chosen to become a doctor like his mother and was really doing his best to get his degrees and the residencies her needed to get there. Regina helped him as well as she could. Hope on the other hand she was sure that one day would become something that had to do with animals, as she simply adored them.

The young girl had a horse named Queen Tinker Bell, a dog named Peter Pan and a cat named Hook. The reason for the name of her cat was that he was missing a paw when she found him at the side of the road. She of course didn’t want to give up the half dead creature and nursed him back to life. Her mothers didn’t mind all too much as the cat was quite cuddly and seemed to be doing just fine managing to walk on the other three paws.

It was otherwise a happy and now healthy cat. He used to follow Regina wherever she went when she was home, right now he was sitting by her feet purring. She leaned down to pet the top of his head saying, “We will be alright, won’t we Peter?”

He just purred as an answer as the main door flew open and Hope came inside, saying, “Isn’t love amazing?”

“I don’t know, is it?” Regina said, looking at her confused. Her thirteen-year-old daughter tended to swing in her moods, she was not sure if she got it from herself, or Emma. She didn’t mind it though, she was just glad she was a lively kid, that seem to have the head and heart in the right place. Maleficent called her, her little fireball, as she never seemed to slow down. Still with her hobbies she never let it get in way of her school work.

“It is, it really is, Roland asked me on a date tomorrow night, I can go right?” Hope said excitedly looking at her mother.

“I honestly don’t see why not, he is a fine young man,” said Regina with a soft smile. Roland Locksley had been her friend ever since they were very young, and the brunette long suspected they would become a couple.

“Great, so it is true, the grandmas are really leaving,” she said looking at the many boxes.

“Yes, day after tomorrow,” Regina nodded with a sad sigh. She would miss them so very much. They had been so much help helping the children over the last ten years and the brunette could never repay them for that.

“It won’t be the same without them,” Hope said, looking ever so sad.

“No, but we will be fine, and we can visit each other, it won’t be the end of the world,” said Regina, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I know and they seem excited about it. Will they and Henry be home for dinner?” she wondered, she didn’t ask about Emma, knowing that she most likely was working late this night also.

“Yes, they will, do you want to help me make it, we are having fajitas?” Regina said, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

“Yeah sure, let me just wash up first,” said Hope putting her bag on the floor and disappearing into the bathroom. Regina hummed as she continued towards the kitchen, Peter following her in her heels, perhaps hoping she would feed him a treat.

* * *

Back at the office Emma was quieter than usual. She was sitting in her office by her desk in the open space alone as she had for some time now. Over the last few years they had managed to track down more than one hitman, talking to them, but no one was the right one. They had also talked to ex snipers, both male and female, but they were let go also. In the end her boss had set a trap where the black dragon had taken the bait.

It would all go down in about 48 hours, and Emma was not allowed to participate in case it was her mother-in-law. Conflict of interest, and so she knew not where it was, only the time. She had tried to talk to Maleficent after the first time she was in jail, but the woman didn’t seem to want to reveal anything. The blonde officer only knew that if it was her and something went wrong, Regina would be crushed and perhaps never forgive her or them.

She sighed as she told her boss she was feeling unwell, driving around for hours instead of going home, then ending up at Ruby’s bar. Ruby wasn’t working she most likely was with Elsa’s son. She had over the years convinced the court that she and Elsa were able to care for him. Still he spent a little time with his aunt and uncle from time to time, but since they now had children of their own, he preferred staying with his mom and her wife. Emma still found it hard to believe that Ruby had settled with Elsa Winters, most since Ruby had been a notary’s flirt before she came into the picture. Ruby had also stopped flirting with the customers, Emma was sure that her boss had something to do with that.

She took a deep breath as she ordered a gin tonic from Alice that now was behind the bar. The lively woman looked at her asking, “You okay there, sheriff?”

“No, I am not, if you had the chance to warn someone knowing it was a matter of life and death would you do it?” Emma wondered, hoping with all her might the assassins Margaret and Regina was the ones she was looking for.

“It depends how it would affect them I suppose,” said Alice smiling at her.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore, Alice, I have a feeling something bad will happen, and I cannot stop it,” she sighed heavily.

“If it was meant to happen, it will no matter what you do, all you can do really is to be with the ones you love and cherish them in the meantime, hoping it won’t be all bad,” said Alice wisely.

“Thanks, how much do I owe you,” said Emma as she finished her drink.

“Nothing, on the house,” said the other woman, going to tend to the next customer. Emma sighed as she got in the car and drove how. She was home a little after they had eaten dinner, but Regina quickly reheated a meal for her, putting it on the table with a beer. The brunette smiled thankfully at her saying, “I will take the day off tomorrow so we can be together.”

“In so case I shall do that also,” said Regina and pressed a kiss to her cheek, going to empty the washing machine and put the clothes off for drying.

* * *

The next day they had stayed in bed, making love for hours while Hope and Henry was out during the daytime. The blonde looked at her wife as she fell asleep after and she whispered, “I love you so much, my queen, and I promise I will try to protect you for the wolves in this world.”

When the children came home, they had taken them out for dinner and a movie, then had a movie marathon when they got home. Regina had left before Emma woke up the next morning and went into the office. Once she got there, she discovered most of the team had left to catch the killer. She managed to get one of the men left to tell her where and went there. Of course, they expected her to, and so one guy stood outside the storage unit and made sure she couldn’t get in. It was the most horrible hours in Emma’s memory, at least when she heard Regina’s screams inside, she only heard a woman scream like that before, and that was Margaret when they had put her in jail years back. Someone came to get her and she knew it was over. She of course knew her partners had did what needed to be done, but at what price.

Suddenly she stood there, next to her boss that asked her to take her in, trying to convince her she should leave it be. Knowing she was right, they had to do that. They both stood there looking at the broken middle-aged woman with the heart of her mother in her hands, bowling, broken, inconsolable. It tore her apart inside, and she wished her fellow officers weren’t there that it was just them, that she could hug her, holding her, telling her everything will be alright. She wasn’t sure though, but she knew that if they put Regina in jail, she would not stand by silent, she would join her so she would not be alone. She waited for her Sergeant’s next move.

* * *

Regina Swan Mills had never pictured herself to ever be in the situation she was in right now. The last few days had been some of the happiest in her life. If you didn’t count the day she married Emma and the days right after when they made love and tended to each other in a bliss, the day when her daughter was born, she had felt herself being torn apart and she was, then to see the most perfect creature in the whole world, and before that when they adopted the other two children. She loved her family so very much, more than she thought possible, she even loved her mothers and her brother, and his family.

She had thought about it a lot the months before she went into the warehouse with Maleficent. She had thought about their first kill together and knew this would be their last. She wasn’t even sure if she would continue with her job as an assassin when this was done, it had taken so much of her life and she like her mother was not getting any younger. She knew she had missed some of the milestones when her children grew up, but she had been there for the big ones. He was there when Henry and Penny ended it and decided to remain friends.

She was there when both her daughters got their first period, it had happened to Hope a few days prior, and Aurora when she was fourteen. She was there for Henry and Aurora’s graduations and their proms. She even bought Henry his suit and Aurora her dress. She wanted one just like sleeping beauty had in the animated movie and so that was what she got, in the shades of blue and pink, she had gone with a boy named Phillip.

Henry didn’t have a date for the prom, but she learned later that he and Penny decided to get back together during it and they were still together to this date. She was the one Henry told he planned to ask Penny for her hand, and he showed her the ring. He had shown it to Emma the day after, and they couldn’t be happier. They both loved the young girl, that practically lived at their house now, when they weren’t at her apartment. Aurora and Phillip had ended it when she joined the navy or rather the phase before what they called hell week trying to get in. He didn’t see she was strong enough and thought it was a male place to be. She told him to go to hell and so he did. Now Mulan was the one taking over and Regina didn’t mind.

She was just glad her children had found love, had friends and were happy.

As she walked into the warehouse, she became aware that something wasn’t right and so she signaled to her mother. Her mother, the woman that raised her after saving her life. The woman that had always been there for her. The woman that she knew put her life on hold more than once to raise her and be there for her. The woman she admired more than most in this crazy world. The woman that was the strongest she knew of, even more so after she learned about how her fellow seals had abused her years prior. She lived with no regrets, for good and bad.

It was only after learning about the horrible things in her past she really understood what drove her to her occupation and it fit. Why shouldn’t he go after people that were not good in this world, after what happened to her, it was her right. Regina watched her, as she stood there with her riffle at the ready, her graying hair, the fire in her eyes, her strength. She was truly beautiful and possibly one of the strongest person Regina ever had known in her lifetime. If she didn’t count her wife and possible Elsa Winters. She knew that Elsa would stop at nothing to catch them, and in her heart she knew she was the one that set the trap she was now was in. Maleficent aimed at the target, as Regina shouted, “No, it is a trap.”

“It will be alright, my little raven, I am ready for this,” said she with a heavy sigh, walking out of the shadows to the body, to check he was dead. He was. To her it was just another hit. It went cold down Regina’s spine as the cops entered, surrounding her mother. Maleficent wasn’t scared though, she knew she had screwed up, it was no way out and so she did the only thing she could do, let them shoot her. She died in the arms of her sweet, sweet girl, the one she loved the most, feeling safe and at peace in all the mess surrounding her.

* * *

Sergeant Elsa Winters had always considered herself as a fair woman that did the right thing in all situations. Or at least that is what she tried to do. Maybe that was why she adopted Olaf to save him from the foster system, it was at least why she became a cop in the first place she knew. Still doing the right thing that had seemed so black and white at first, seemed to come in shades of grey she learned after many years at the force. There were always two sides to a story, and the victims weren’t always just that, and the suspects weren’t always like that either. Like now.

She had been dubbed the Ice Queen as she showed very little emotions on the job, because she didn’t want to seem weak. She didn’t want to be undermined, being seen as a fool, being everyone’s best friend. She was their boss, and not someone you messed with, she wanted orders in her ranks, and she had that. Her team respected her as she respected them, knowing they had her respect, that if they made a mistake they would be punished. They knew even graver mistakes would have them thrown out; it had happened to a few.

The blonde Lieutenant was usually the first that came in the morning ant the last to leave at night, that was at least until she met Ruby Lucas. The woman had turned her world upside down. Now she had someone to come home to and to spend the nights with. They had debated how they both worked to much at first, and Elsa had changed a bit, trying to leave earlier in the evenings, and Ruby did the same, meeting halfway. Lately it had been impossible though, being so close to crack this case, the case they had been working on for years.

She had finally managed to order a hit, set a trap for the woman she was hunting, the woman she wanted to send to jail. The woman that did deserve to be in jail. That was what she thought at first. They had rigged hidden cameras around the building and put the victim, a fellow officer in a bulletproof vest in there, he was supposed to be working on a boat or something. She had assured him that they would save him before anything happened, not sure how she could make that promise everything considered, but she had to, for her own piece. She would have taken the bullet herself, but that would be too obvious.

In her many years on the force she knew all to well that some cases were easier solved than others, she also knew that some cases didn’t end fair. She had seen rape victims kill their attackers, domestic violence gone wrong, fellow officers been shot, innocent victims end up dead and she therefore knew there was two sides to each story. She also knew that some killers perhaps needed to be in jail more than others, but that was another matter. It was not for her to decide. She only did her job, trying to take in the , ‘bad guy,’ or ‘bad woman’. The one responsible for the crime at hand. 

She could still remember being emotional about some of her first cases once she started at the force. Still it didn’t make her want to quit her job, it made her want to work harder, trying to make the world a better place. She knew all too well that sometimes you had to split up families to do so, still she had no regrets. She knew she couldn’t afford it or she would not have this job.

As she showed up near the warehouse that morning, she looked at the video feed, seeing two persons dressed in dark clothes, debating amongst themselves. She then knew that the one she sent in there wouldn’t come back out alive, and she had to tell his family why she made that choice. She saw the pair move out of sight of the cameras, and oddly enough stay out of their views. They had to know it was a setup if they saw them, or maybe since the place was otherwise abandon, they thought the cameras were out of order. Still Winters knew they or one of them would take the kill shot. Another deep breath seeing one of the cameras they went inside, she ordered her men close, stand at the ready. Slowly and quietly she made her way since, seeing her fellow officer rubbing a boat. Did he know he wouldn’t make it back home or did he hope he still would, that she, that they would rescue him? What would be the last things on his mind?

She had thought about that many times, what would be the last thought of anyone’s mind before they died. What would be her own?

Would it be her first love, her graduation from the academy, surviving the first day there, when she led her sister up the aisle to get married, her son’s adoption, memories with him or memories with him and her current love Ruby?

The Sergeant wouldn’t know, as she pushed some of her icy white hair behind her ear she heard a car stop on the outside, she knew it was Emma’s, and she told one of her officers to hold her outside, better safe than sorry. She had decided that no matter the outcome this would be her last case, she would ask Emma to take over her position. She earned her stars and the respect from their men and herself, plus she had been there the longest. She proven herself worthy of the task and so if the blonde accepted that was how it would be. If not the position would go to her partner in crime, Merida. She looked at the redhead standing next to her, ready to jump at any progress good or bad.

She startled hearing the shoot, even if she knew it was coming. She then heard footsteps as her officers, she in front surrounded the woman at all edges. The woman she over the past years had learned to know, being Emma’s mother-in-law. She stood there checking the pulse of the dead officer, sighing, before she aimed the riffle at them. Elsa made a sign for her fellow officers to hold fire as she said, “Please, please don't push the trigger.”

She had her hand on the trigger on the gun just like the rest of her men, ready to she shot, ready to end this if Margaret Davenport didn’t back down. She would not back down, not when she finally had the woman she had hunted for years, and this time she could prove it. Still she would hate to shoot her, having gotten to know her over the years. The two had been together in social settings more than once. She knew how much Margaret loved her family and her children; she would give her life for them to be safe. She could even understand how it came to this considering what was done to her in the past.

“You know I can’t do that, Winters, we both know I don’t belong in jail,” Maleficent said with a heavy sigh. The blonde Sergeant looked at the blonde woman in front of her, they were both so stubborn. What happened next happened to fast for her to stop it. Margaret fired and so did one of her officers. Margaret missed her though, Elsa knew it had been on purpose, that she was right, she didn’t belong in any jail. So she decided it was better they ended it like this. The blonde Lieutenant hated to admit it; she had the utmost respect for her doing what she did. For not hitting her, knowing she could, then taking the plunge of death. She knew she that even if she could she wouldn’t stop her men and women from shooting her, even if it went against every fiber of her being. She watched in terror as Regina appeared next to her mother whispering, “I am here, please don’t leave.”

She could registrar that the woman, the best hit-woman she had come across in years whisper something in her daughter’s ear, before her body went limp. She witnessed as Regina howled out in pain, without thinking she took the dagger in her belt, dragging it over her mother’s chest, cutting through the fabrics, reaching in taking the heart and squeezing it, a desperate way to try to bring her back to life. It didn’t work and so she sat there next to her body with a still beating heart in her hands, crying.Sergeant Winters looked at her in horror, telling one of her men to get Emma inside. The blonde was ordered to wait outside due to her relation to the suspect. The blonde had not taken no for an answer when Elsa told her she couldn’t come with. Now however that it was all over, she knew that her most trusted officer was the only that could get her wife to move.

Emma Swan Mills came inside seeing her wife on the ground, her mother’s heart in her hands howling like a wounded animal of pain. She looked at her boss saying, “I won’t let you take her in.”

“You know I have no choice; she is a killer like her mother was,” Elsa said with a heavy sigh. She hated she had to do it, more than Emma would ever know. In fact, she suddenly hated everything about this case and wondered if it was all worth it. Even if both Margaret and Regina knew that they were doing could lead to this… She couldn’t look Emma in the eyes, because inside, much like Regina she was falling apart. She knew she could never excuse her men taking the life of the woman that was her mother, and she knew that Regina knew it deep down. The Lieutenant wanted nothing more than to run out of the, drive to wherever and cry. She however knew she couldn’t do that; she had a job to do still.

“Look at her, she is broken beyond measure, she won’t put of a fight, she lost the person that meant the most to her over the years, the last person she considered a parent. You may she lost everything, you cannot take her freedom also, please for once show you have a heart,” Emma argued, not even sure how to approach her wife at this point. How could she come back from this.

“You know I can’t do that, Emma, should I go and cuff her or should you?” Elsa said, giving her a stern look, pushing her emotions away to be able to do her job.

** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter, feedback is always appreciated :o)


	10. Chapter 10 Their conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instead of taking Regina to the station for interrogation, Elsa takes her for a ride. The otherwise cool assassin is thrown off by this, scared she will never see her family again.

** _Chapter 10 Their Conversation_ **

Regina in the corner of her eye became aware that Elsa was nearing her, she, still holding the heart of her mother in one hand, rose fast grasping her gun and pointed it towards her head. Her aim was clear, steady and she was able to get a clean shot before anyone could stop her. Normally she would have used her hunting riffle, but since this case was special, she had brought her handgun also. She had it for some years, and right now it seemed a better choice.

Elsa saw it also her determination as she said, “Please, put the gun down, Regina, I don’t want to shoot you or have my men do it.”

“Why shall I believe you, you already shot my mother,” said Regina, her tone flat, emotionless. Inside, the pieces or her now broken heart was tearing her apart.

Emma looked at her wife in horror, knowing she was capable of killing her boss without as much as thinking twice. It was only then, in that very moment she realized what she married, a coldblooded killer with no regrets. A shiver ran down her spine by the thought that she had to explain to her children why their mother was in jail and why their grandmother was dead. A shiver because she still loved her, spite the fact of her horrible acts. A shiver because if she still loved Regina and that her suspicions were right, what did it make her?

“Because I know you and you know me. I will give you ten minutes to say goodbye, walk outside and then let me take you to the station. I will have my men leave the building so you can have privacy. I owe you that much. If you try to run, they will not doubt but to shoot you,” she said, giving the order for her men to step back, she did the same herself. She could let her say goodbye before the coroner got there, she knew he was already on the way.

Regina didn’t even look at Emma, instead she pushed the heart back in where it belonged whispering, “I am sorry, mom, I should have been quicker, I hope you are in a better place now, that you can finally get some rest. I promise I will make sure auntie Ella is alright, and the children. You taught me well, and I will never forget it. We will be together again someday, I promise. You can leave now.”

She gently closed her eyes, pressing a kiss to her forehead, then stood up. It was no way back, she had to go with Winters she knew. A deep breath as she knew that her mother’s spirit was no longer present, the body on the floor was just that a body. The body of the woman that cared about her until her dying day, that put her first, that was her mother in every sense of the word. She was gone now, only present in her memories from this day.

A tear running down her cheek as she saw Emma came closer. The blonde held out a hand for her to not come closer she couldn’t have her close now, she just couldn’t, not until this was over, if it ever would be. Another tear running down her cheek as she walked over to Sergeant Winters saying, “If you want to cuff me you can, but you don’t need to, I won’t run. I am tired of the cat and mouse game. Take me wherever.”

Elsa nodded as she put her in the back of her truck and locked the doors. Even without cuffs there was no way the brunette could escape from there, there was bars between the back and the front seat and also doors were only possible to open from the outside. The blonde got in the car, turning off the radio so she was out of reach, then the same with the chip on the car and her cell phone, before she started driving away.

“So if I ask you something you will answer me truthfully?” she said in a emotionless tone.

“I don’t see why not, I mean your evidence support your suspicions I am sure, so I got no reason to lie,” said Regina, knowing she would not take her to the station, she knew the route there.

“It does, so you are the merciful assassin?” she asked, more to clarify it.

“I am, although I prefer the Black Raven,” said Regina, knowing she would no longer would be called that by her mother made her want to curl up and die. ‘Be strong Regina, you can do this’ she told herself.

“Your killings can you justify them?” Elsa wondered.

“I can yes, I see nothing wrong in what I have done. I did a job, I got paid, simple as that,” Regina shrugged.

“And your family do they know?” Elsa asked her, stopping at a red light.

“No, they don’t. They only know I am a doctor, a wife and a mother, and I do prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible,” said Regina with a heavy sigh. She would hate for this to hit the papers and the children would see it, they would think less of her, maybe even hate her. Even if they were mostly grown up by now, they would never understand this, and most likely they would hate her for it. That was the cross she would have to bear.

“You are aware I should give your name to the public, that you are caught, that you will never see the light of day or your family again?” Elsa asked, looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

“I am aware of that yes, and I knew it most likely would come to this one day,” said Regina, looking out the window now, not straight ahead, to not meet her eyes in the mirror.

“I don’t get you, you seem to be a cold-blooded killer, by methods you are, both you and your mother were, yet you are so different in your ways. Whereas she never showed any mercy you did, why?” she asked.

“Why is the lion different than the wolf, they are both killers?” Regina shrugged, seeing they were now on the highway.

“Don’t play games with me Regina, I have hardly slept in months due to this case, whenever Ruby fell asleep, I have been up thinking about this wondering why I didn’t capture you sooner. I don’t think it was that I couldn’t it was deep down I didn’t want to be right that it was you two, so please just answer,” she said in a harsh tone. She was not going to be fucking nice about this.

“Fine, every killer has his or her signature, I suppose I felt that the souls should be granted mercy even if the people they belonged to did not. I suppose I didn’t want them to end up being forgotten or taken longer to find next of kin, why I left their wallets. Besides I have no use for that, I am rich beyond measure. Or I am superstitious I didn’t want their souls to come back and kill me,” she said, like she was talking about something as simple as buying bread.

“And your soul, where would that end?” Elsa asked, as she slowly speed of the highway to a side way.

“If there is a heaven or a hell, I would hope to be reunited with my parents at last. Although even if I go to church with my wife almost every Sunday I am not sure I believe that, because if there was I would still have my parents,” she said with a heavy sigh, her eyes going to whatever they were passing outside the window.

“I need to ask, if you had not found Margaret when you were very young would you have killed Gold yourself?” asked Elsa, calmly. She was driving slow and steady, away from the city.

“I honestly don’t know, but I imagine I would have tried, because he was slowly killing me,” her voice merely a whisper, as she asked, “Can I rest please, I feel tired, so very tired. You are clearly taking me somewhere and I won’t rest for long, you can continue asking for however long.”

Elsa saw her in the mirror, she was tired, not holding up her hard front anymore, still Elsa wanted to finish what she started, “We continue and I will let you rest later, that is a promise.”

Regina didn’t say anything to this, she just continued to look out the window. Winters didn’t speak either. She focused on the driving, letting Regina take it all in, before she said, “I was seven when I found Mal, that is her real name, Maleficent Drake, but we used Margaret outside the house when she raised me, easier. She told me she had a name prior to that, but she didn’t like it. She didn’t want a name that connected her to her parents, it is a long story, and I do not care to get into it.

In any case I used methods trying to track her down and I did and asked if she could kill Gold. We talked and she agreed to be my guardian and that she would teach me her trade if I didn’t tell anyone. I never did and never would. She told me to be careful not to leave anything behind and to pick three weapons so they wouldn’t as easily trace back to me. I did and I have no regrets.

I know you see what I do is wrong, but people get killed in war every day, and no one had to get punished for that. Also, it is the fact that I never took a life of a decent human being. Some of the ones I killed were abusers, pedophiles even, that the police couldn’t get to as they didn’t see it or choose not to. Sure I had high profile cases as well, but I did only what was asked of me.”

“And at the hospital?” asked Winters.

“What do you mean?” Regina wondered.

“Did you do any mercy killings, after all you are a skilled chemist so I am sure it wouldn’t be a problem to end someone’s pain without there being any trace,” Winters pointed out.

“In the years I worked there, which has been many, only seven. Those were in a lot of pain and begged me to do so,” said Regina with a heavy sigh, adding, “My only regret is that they had to be in so much pain to begin with.”

“You are aware that if everyone did what you have done, there wouldn’t be a system of right and wrong or any order in a chaos?” the Sergeant asked, cutting off into the forest, there wasn’t a real way for cars there even.

“Perhaps, but if everyone did it, then I wouldn’t,” Regina countered, wondering what they were doing here, was she going to kill her, without even letting her say goodbye to her family? Bury her bones where no one could find her, was that what she meant about resting when she was done?

“I suppose so is true, still it was wrong of you,” said she, sighing heavily.

“Are you going to kill me, is that why we are here?” Regina couldn’t stop herself from asking. She now regretted not having hugged and kissed her wife before she got in the car.

“I easily could, but no,” the Sergeant said with a half laugh.

“Are we going back?” Regina wondered.

“Why, so I can put you in a cell, we both know I won’t let you see your family again, unless you can convince me why I should. Surely a person of your caliber cannot love anyone for real right?” her tone of voice was cold and harsh.

Regina didn’t speak, she just looked out the window, cursing on the inside. For the first time in her life she felt something she considered as regret. Not because of her actions, but because of the fact she should never have gotten involved with Emma, started a family, any of that. The blonde deserved better, so much better. And she knew the worst part about it, Winters was wrong, as she loved her, more than she could explain, more than she should, and right now she was aching for her so badly.

A tear running down her cheek, wishing she had her phone with her so she could call her, text her, say she was sorry, that she loved her, anything. She would do anything to hear her voice one last time. A deep breath pushing her panic aside as she said, “Because I do love her, I love them, with everything I am and everything I have with every core of my being, with every breath I take and ever took. I need to explain to my children why I did what I did, I don’t expect them to understand or forgive me, still I need to tell them why, even if I don’t know why. I need to see my wife even if it is for the last time, because without her I am nothing, I am no one, without her I am what you call me a monster. I can live with a lot, you can call me what I like, but for her to think that, I cannot live with that.”

“I don’t think you a monster, mainly because I think you just got sucked into this because you felt you had no other choice and then in time you couldn’t get out. What confuses me about all of this is that you are so much more human than other killers I have meet in the same field. You have so much compassion, Regina, you care so much about others, and not only for your own, but for your patients, for the schools your children went to, you even donated money to the force. Regular killers don’t go to such lengths to be a pillar in the community, yet you did. If I jail you as I know I should more than one world will fall apart. Or maybe that was the plan all along, making it too hard for me to go through with?” she asked with a heavy sigh.

“My plan was to do both my jobs the best way possible, to stay under the radar, to never get caught, to retire and withdraw when I got old. This was supposed to be my last tasks, I do see the irony. I want to be there for my children more, even if they are not home as much as they used to. At least not the oldest. I wanted to travel and see the world with my wife, lord knows we both deserve some time off. I even considered being a dog or horse breeder. Now I will just rot alone in a jail cell and I have only myself to blame,” she said with a huff.

Elsa parked the car near to what seemed like an old wooden hunting lodge and got out. She opened Regina’s door saying, “You are going to show me how you hunted them, as we need dinner.”

“I am not a cannibal,” said Regina mortified.

“Jesus Christ, I mean show me the method on an animal, not that I couldn’t do it myself, but I want to see how you hunt,” said Elsa looking at her.

“And what if I refuse to?” Regina got out eyeing her.

“I will make sure you never have a chance to see your wife and children again,” said Elsa, her tone cold as ice. Her eyes made shivers run down Regina’s spine. Mostly because she knew this woman was most likely as cold and calculated as herself, Elsa had no doubts in being true on her word.

“Where do you keep your weapons?” she asked, hoping she didn’t have to bring down a big animal she didn’t have the energy for it.

Elsa gestured for her to follow and she did, once inside Elsa showed her a room with a various of riffles and daggers, making the brunette think this belonged to her family and that they had more than once skilled hunter. Still she took a riffle, made sure it had enough rounds and a dagger, then headed outside. She walked inside the nearby forest and looked for tracks or trace of an animal, soon coming up on what was a hare or a fox. She took a deep breath and followed her instincts being quiet and out a view. She stopped to listen a couple of times.

Then moved forwards fast, eyeing her target, two rabbits eating some grass. She smiled over how cute they were, making a mental not that these would be the last she took down and she would stick to bigger animals if she ever could hunt again. She aimed and shot, twice, taking them down with ease. She walked over to pick them up, whispering a few words, then carried them back to the cabin where she skinned them. She looked at Elsa, that looked back clearly making mental notes. She held the clean bunnies towards her saying, “Do you have a bathroom, I really need to use one, please, or I can go in the forest, I won’t run.”

“Up the stairs first on the left,” Elsa said as she took the rabbits. Regina made her way upstairs, and to the bathroom, throwing herself over the toilet, throwing up, it came out of her in jolts for quite some time, then she stood there heaving for air, tears stinking in her eyes. A faint whisper as she sank the cold floor, “Emma.”

She curled up on the floor, whimpering lightly, like a wounded animal thinking back to when she had been pregnant with Hope, she had been sick like this then, a lot. But Emma had been there, holding her hair back gently stroking her back, whispering soothing words, making her feel better. More tears followed as she wondered if her wife was worried about her, was she searching for her, was she with the children. Was she picking up Hope, explaining it all for her or was she waiting for them to come back? Would she even go back?

“I am so sorry, Emma,” she whispered, curling up on the floor, crying, forcing her eyes shut so she could get some rest, dreaming of her strong officer. She dreamed of her smile, her warmth and her safe embrace. Anything to just get a moment of peace, to escape this cabin and feeling so utterly alone and lost.

* * *

Elsa stood looking after her, she could hear of course what was going on upstairs, but she chose to give her some privacy while she prepared the food. It was mostly because she was hungry herself and she needed to sort out the mess in her mind. Cooking usually did that. As she prepared the braised rabbit pie, she wondered if she should show Regina mercy and let her go.

After all she could easily blame all on her mother, the press hadn’t been at the scene so they wouldn’t know it was two killers not just one. And Regina was a big pillar of the community, if she took her I it wouldn’t just affect her, people would turn their back on her family also, on Emma and the children. Her brothers and sisters in arms might do that as well. After all a lot of them were there. She took up her phone calling her boss, hearing the man picking up saying, “Tell me it isn’t true that you have run off with the main suspect, Elsa.”

“It is, I mean I did, but hear me out, Albert, please,” she said, as she started to talk with the man she didn’t care much for. Still if she wanted to do as she planned she needed his approval and so the blonde started talking while she continued to prepare the food.

* * *

When she was done and had set up for two in the living room area, she went upstairs and found Regina sleeping on the bathroom floor. A small smile on her lips finding the irony that the most heinous killer they had in years now lay on the floor sleeping every so peacefully, seeming harmless. She sat down gently shaking her shoulder saying, “Regina, dinner is ready.”

“Emma?” she asked, still only half awake, but opening her eyes she realized where she was and said, “Sorry.”

“No offense taken, are you alright, it seemed like you were rather sick earlier?” Elsa wondered, looking at her with concern.

“I was, but I got most out so I don’t feel as nauseated,” Regina answered as she slowly got up.

“You miss her, don’t you?” Elsa said as she walked one step in front of her.

“Of course, I do, that is a given, she is my wife,” Regina said with a heavy sigh.

“I get the feeling, she is most likely making havoc because of this right now,” said Elsa with a small laughter.

“That is my Emma,” said Regina in a soft tone.

“And she never knew about this side of you?” said Elsa in a serious tone.

“Not as I know of, I told her once we decided to become a couple long ago, she could never ask what I really did for a living, if she did we couldn’t be together and so she never asked. So if she knew or knows she would have put the pieces together herself,” Regina answered.

“And now that she knows, how does that make you feel?” Elsa wondered as she started to descend the stairs.

“Guilty she has to live with the knowledge of what I have done, that the mother of her children is a killer, maybe I should just ask for a divorce and let her have full custody,” said Regina, looking away. It hurt even saying it.

“Is this really what you want?” Elsa asked, feeling a deep sense of sympathy for this woman.

“It does not longer matter how I feel, she deserves the best, better than me,” said Regina, swallowing hard.

“The thing is though, after this case she will take over my position, if the truth comes out it wouldn’t look good that she didn’t know the truth about you. It would reflect badly on her as an officer, even if it is the truth. And I know you know that, and I have no doubt you are struggling right now, so I shall make you and offer,” said Elsa, looking at the other woman.

“If you suggest witness protection program that is not an option as our children have their lives here,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“That was not what I was going to say. While you slept I talked to my boss, which is an ass. He thought me crazy to run away with you, but I explained or tried to that it was for the best. I didn’t need all the eyes on you, on us, the newspapers and so on. I told him that I didn’t want you in jail, because of your better nature. To put the blame on everything on your mother, and let you go, against you never kill anyone again. If it stops with your mother and the rest you are off the hook.

If Emma or anyone finds your trade mark near a scene you go strait to jail and they will throw away the key. It is up to you to explain what you wish to the family and the police officers on the scene will be sworn to secrecy. It is a lot to ask of them, but I can play on the family card, what would they have done if it was someone in their own family. And in a way you are a part of our so…I can however not guarantee for their actions towards you in the future and it all will hit the paper in the morning. Is this something you can agree to?” Elsa said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Yes and I will not lay a hand on anyone unless someone harms my own,” said Regina with a heavy sigh.

“Good, I will take you back as soon as we have eaten,” said Elsa in a firm tone.

Regina just nodded, sitting down by the table as she asked, feeling confused, “Why are you doing this for me? You could have killed me and gotten away with it, you could have thrown me in jail and thrown away the key. Why do you show me mercy?”

“Because I care for Emma, and the children, she is my second in command, and I can’t handle the effect it will have on her if I put you in jail. No matter your actions, no matter what should be done, I cannot do that to her. I just hope I will not regret my decision,” said Elsa with a heavy sigh, helping herself with the food.

Regina helped herself as soon as she was done, as she said, “I owe you my life, you can always knock me up a bit if you want or even take a shot at me, it is alright.”

“No, you spared my life back then and I yours, simple as that, that is all that is to it,” she said with a half-smile.

“You have a mighty big heart, Elsa Winters,” said Regina, looking at her with teary eyes.

“Yes, but please don’t tell anyone, I have a reputation to obtain,” said the other woman, giving her a warm smile.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Ice Queen,” said Regina, smiling back.

They ate in silence for a while before Regina asked, “So where do we stand in the future, I mean we used to have barbeques and so on. Our children adore you.”

“I need some time, I hope you understand, I respect you on so many levels Regina, but you are in a way the one that got away, or I let get away. I have to live with that as you have to live with what you have done. However, I know you have regrets so that is something,” she said.

“Understood,” Regina said with a deep sigh.

* * *

They finished the meal in silence before they got back in the car, and the drive home started. Regina being exhausted in more than one way fell asleep on the way. As it neared midnight Elsa pulled up in front of the estate. She got out and woke the other woman gently, whispering, “Go be with your wife and your family.”

Regina didn’t speak, she got out and gave her a hug whispering, “Thank you for this, I will never forget it.”

Elsa nodded as she got back in the car and drove away, not doubt to be with her own wife. Regina walked up to the house, it didn’t feel right anymore. Not when she knew Maleficent would no longer be there, tears running down her cheek as she unlocked the door. The house was quiet, and dark, most likely everyone was asleep. She took of her shoes, quietly making her way upstairs, finding Emma sleeping in their bed, her sweet Emma, hugging Regina’s pillow tight, curled up in fetal position. She had hurt her really badly she knew and it broke her heart seeing her like this and her tears again started to fall, first quietly, then she started to sob, as she sat down on the bed, she didn’t deserve her love and Emma deserved someone better, not a monster like her. Fuck, why did love have to hurt like this.

* * *

Emma woke as soon as she came into the room, she just lay there quietly, not sure how to react. She wasn’t even sure if she ever would see her again, or hear her voice, she was sure Elsa would take her away, shoot her and bury her bones, which was her right. She knew her fellow cops wanted her in a cell, maybe even executed, it was the only right thing to do, so why was she here, home, had she been let go to say goodbye. Was this the end of them?

A shiver running down Emma’s spine. No that couldn’t be it, and hearing her sad sobs she couldn’t take it and so she got up and hugged her from behind holding her tight. And it was then the brunette broke fully, not behind able to hold in what had been bottled up for so long, and she whispered, “I am so so sorry Emma, I should have never married you, put you through this, I should have ended it, and I get if you want a divorce and take the kids away from you. I don’t deserve you, I never did, I am a monster, a horrible monster, she should have put me in jail or killed me.”

“Shhh, it is alright, I somehow always knew and it doesn’t make me love you any less or take the children away from you. I think they deserve to know though and so I called Aurora home, she will be flying in tomorrow. I think it is only fair, but I don’t intend to break my promise, I am here until the end,” said Emma in a soft tone, pressing kisses into her dark stands.

“How can you love me, Emma, knowing what I have done,” said Regina, turning within her grasp.

“Easy, because to me you are so much more, and I know you would never hurt me or the family, and you will never kill anyone again. I love your good and your bad and everything in between, just like you love me, right?” Emma wondered, looking at her.

“Yes of course, at least now that this case if over for the both of us, I don’t have to hide anymore, and I can be just your wife, their mother if they still want me as that, and that is all I want to be. I am handing in my resignation at the hospital tomorrow,” she whispered, looking at Emma.

“Alright, I have been offered Elsa’s position and I will take it,” said Emma, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Good, you deserve it, can we sleep, I am exhausted and I just want to be close to you,” she whispered, kissing her lips.

“And I too you,” Emma whispered back, letting Regina changed into her pajamas, before she crawled close to her, falling asleep. She wondered what had happened between her wife and boss, but she knew better than to ask. Instead she held her closer than ever before, sheltering her from the horrors in the world, as she slowly went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter, feedback is always appreciated :o)


	11. Chapter 11 Epilogue / Happily ever after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts the same way it did when Emma and Regina first meet, only this time they are going on vacation together. 
> 
> It also gives a view over Maleficent's funeral and what Emma went through while Regina was away with Elsa years earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note : I did consider writing them on their vacation also, only I couldn't quite make it fit, so it may or may not be a one-shot at a later point.

** _Chapter 11 Epilogue / Happily ever after? _ **

Regina Swan-Mills was sitting at a bar at the ever so busy airport, it was the same bar she had meet her wife for the first time what seemed like forever ago. It was the bar she met the woman she knew she once would marry and she had fallen first the first time she saw her. The now fifty-nine-year-old woman looked at the time yet again, thinking her love should have been there by now. She of course knew that being a police Sergeant took up a lot of her time, still she had told her that she would make it in good time for the flight. Regina found her phone and pressed the call button, ring…ring...and then the answering machine saying, “You have now reached officer Emma Swan-Mills, I am busy so I cannot take the phone right now. I will however call you back as soon as possible, remember to ever be safe out there and the Yankees rules.”

She cursed under her breath, partly because the blonde was late, and partly that she still thirty-six years after they first meet hadn’t changed that stupid message on her phone. Irony was that when Emma first made that message, they weren’t even a couple. Her friends and coworkers, even her old boss Emma found it hilarious though.

The brunette cursed yet again, partly because she was late and partly why they hadn’t driven there together, that way she wouldn’t have to worry and annoy herself right now. She pushed some of her slowly graying hair behind her ear, wondering where Emma was, she was never late. Not once in the thirty-two years they had been married, she was usually the one that showed up wherever they were meeting first.

Her wife shouldn’t be late, not even with the rush hour traffic that was now, and if she was, she would have called saying why she was late, as she knew Regina were likely to worry. She looked at her phone, then the wedding band on her finger. No, she decided she had to be fine, nothing bad had happened to her, she had simply been held up at work for a little while due to some report before her vacation. This was Emma after all, the woman that always strived for perfection and therefore was the best at her job.

Her thoughts got interrupted when she heard a male voice say, “What is a pretty woman as yourself doing alone in a bar?”

“Waiting for my thing of a wife, so beat it!” Regina said in a harsh tone, not even slightly interested in the silver fox sitting on the stool next to her. Could Emma have been injured at work, no someone would have called if that was the case. She pushed some more of her graying hair behind her ear, as he said, “No need to get nasty, I just wanted to offer you a drink.”

“And I already have one, besides my wife doesn’t take it lightly when I talk to strangers,” she said, as Emma could get insanely jealous. Regina never minded, she loved when the blonde got all possessive and overprotective. Damn the one who neared her without Emma’s approval, whether it was a parent at a bake sale, someone in the glossary story, or someone at the local bar they went to with their friends and now children when they were in town and had time.

The blonde had broken more than one nose of someone that came too close, spoke wrongly to Regina or wolf-whistled after her. The good thing was that Emma was never taken in for it as she was a police officer, Regina could recall once she got some talking to, but that was it. She of course returned the favor; she was just more subtle. She preferred whispering treats into their ears, that usually was enough. She had a way of saying things making chills run down the spine of people.

“But it is clear she isn’t coming, so I don’t see the harm in having a drink and a nice time,” he dared to put his hand atop of Regina’s making her cringe. There clearly wasn’t any way she could get rid of him by playing nice or be subtle.

“Please be as kind as to remove your hand, I am not interested!” she said in one of her harshest tones. Her mind was starting to panic, where was Emma, she needed her to be there right now.

“Don’t play coy with me, we both know you are playing hard to get and that you really want this,” he leaned in whispering.

“The woman said no, so if I were you, I would take a hint and leave,” Regina’s heard Emma’s voice, she did not sound happy. She took a deep breath in relief, she would come to her rescue as so many times before. Her hero in the very rusty armor.

“Move along woman, this doesn’t concern you,” he said, looking at Emma, that was wearing a pair of black jeans, a t-shirt white with a print of a heart with wings around, over it a red worn-out leather jacket, in the belt round her hang a pair of cuffs. Over her shoulder hang a blue backpack. Her blonde hair in a messy ponytail. Age wise she looked to be somewhere in he in the same lines at the woman next to him and she did not look happy. Still she didn’t really scare him as she didn’t look all that scary, he was sure he could take her down if it came to it.

“You are wrong this does concern me, as you are making my wife uncomfortable, so beat it now, you already had one warning,” said Emma, her green eyes lightning like fire. She didn’t even mind throwing him out of there she knew. She for sure was strong enough to do so.

“Really maybe the three of us should have some fun together then,” he said. Regina frowned, knowing that was the stupidest thing he could ever uttered. Emma raised him up by the color, holding him close to her face, “Listen, I gave you one warning, I am police Sergeant and not only did you insult my wife, but me, that means straight to jail for harassment.”

“Jeez, lady, relax,” said he, trying to break free from her grasp as the blonde looked after airport security. Spotting them across the floor she dragged him away from her wife and over them, exchanging a few words, they nodded and took him away. Emma walked back to Regina, saying, “I am so sorry you had to endure his company, I needed to pick up something on the way so I got more delayed than I planned to be.”

“Doesn’t matter, you saved me from him, my hero,” Regina said, getting up and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

“Mm, I always will,” Emma said, nuzzling lovingly against her cheek.

“I know, it is making me feel so very loved, shall we go to the gate?” Regina wondered, looking at her.

“Just a moment, I have something for you first,” Emma said, taking the backpack off her shoulders. She opened it to find a small squared gift, neatly wrapped. She handed over to Regina that took it, asking, “Jewelry?”

“Open it,” said Emma eagerly and smiled at her.

The other woman gently removed the paper and found a small blue box, she opened it, only to find a necklace with a pendant shaped like Maleficent’s old tattoo. Emma smiled halfway at her saying, “I planned to have this made ages ago, but time always seems to fly away from me, I hope you like it. That way you can always have her with you.”

Regina with teary eyes let her hands sneak around her neck, removing the necklace Emma had given her ages ago, only to put this new one on. She made sure to put the old necklace around Emma’s neck, whispering, “Back with its original owner. Thank you for this, dear, I shall treasure it always.”

“You are free to keep my necklace forever also,” Emma said, looking at her with loving eyes. Even when they reunited years back, they kept each other necklaces to always have a part with the other with them.

“Emma, I don’t need it anymore, don’t get me wrong, I love it, but you already given me bigger tokens of your love, the wedding band, three children, a life of happiness of love, memories in plenty, your heart, your soul, your mind, you, don’t think because I won’t wear it I will love you less, I never could, you are my all, my everything, always will be,” said Regina, kissing her ever so lovingly.

“I know, I just got used to seeing it around your neck, that is all, knowing I in a way was a part of you, even how bad things were, even when you hid the wedding band when you were out on a mission. Or so I would assume. Not even when you were sure you would end in jail years back you too it off,” Emma said, tilting her head looking at her.

* * *

_She had been so terrified for those hours Regina had been gone with Winters, she was afraid her then boss would come back without her. She had cried and demanded her fellow officers to try to find her, which they refused to do, after all her wife was a killer, simple as that. They all made up their mind she was in it with Margaret, and that whatever Winters done to her she deserved. After all she was not called the Ice Queen for nothing. _

_That Emma should know better than to marry a killer. Emma had looked at Merida, the only one that then seemed to be on her side, when the blonde claimed she didn’t know, she had a hunch but she never had any confirmation of it. Merida had lost it and told them what the hell was wrong with them, that if it was any of their family member no matter what they did they would be out there searching for them already. _

_That Emma and her family deserved better, that Regina had done more than killing these people, she was a good person deep down and that they could go fuck themselves, then she had taken Emma home. She had stayed with her for hours, she had taken care of their children when they came home as the blonde couldn’t face them, not alone, not without **her wife**. She had gone to her room, screaming punching the wall, crying, not acting rationally at all, then fallen asleep as the emotions had slowly drained her. _

_The blonde had no idea how long Merida stayed, not even how much time passed between her falling asleep until she heard her wife come home and sat down on the bed crying. She had no idea of Albert Spencer would ask her to resign or if her coworkers would ever look her in the eyes again. She didn’t care about it either, she only cared about her wife, the woman she loved so deeply, that had now come back to her begging for forgiveness, her eyes pleading for it, to be held, to be loved. _

_Emma knew right then as she pulled her into her grasp, that the brunette needed her more than every before, and that she needed her. And so she had kissed her, pressing her lips against hard, cupping her cheeks, stroking them with her thumbs. Regina had pushed her away, only to get out of bed and get undressed._

_She then had lain back in bed, motioning for Emma to come on top, Emma had nodded not speaking she got between the legs of her wife. She didn’t ask her not to cry while she made love to her every so gently, instead she took her time doing so, bringing her to her high, letting Regina cling on to her, kissing her lips and body deeply along the way. When she was done she looked into her eyes whispering, “I am here for you, until the end.”_

_“After the funeral, I want us to take a trip, somewhere, anywhere, because I need some distance,” she said with a weak voice as she was exhausted. _

_“I can agree to that, need to clear it with my boss of course, but I am sure it will be fine, Merida will act as a leader in my place,” Emma said, kissing her lips gently._

_ "_ _I…need…sleep,” she managed to get out before her eyes shut close. Emma pressed some kisses against her bosom before she fell asleep on top of her. _

_Aurora had arrived home in the early afternoon the next day, by then Regina was fully awake, and had called her boss at the hospital, explaining the detains of what had happened before, that her mother was the assassin the police had hunted and she needed time of to prepare her funeral and some time off to recover, not knowing if she would be back. They told her to take as much time as she needed, no more questions asked. She was now wearing a pajama as she descended the stairs, entering the living room where the small family was waiting. Ella was there as well, the police had notified her, and talked to her while she had been with Elsa the day before. Regina sat down on a chair opposite her children sitting in the couch, Ella on a chair on the side. Her cheeks grimy, her eyes tired and glassy, she most likely hadn’t slept much the night before. She gave Regina a look of sympathy. _

_Emma took Regina’s hand, giving it a squeeze as her wife looked at her, she gave her a nod before she said, “Yesterday was the longest day in my life and the time to come will be the hardest. I am prepared for you to hate me, not even want to talk to me after what I tell you. Yesterday morning I and your grandmother went to a warehouse to kill a target, we are both the assassins the paper have been writing on and off about in the later years. The ones your mother, auntie Elsa and their team has been hunting for, this will hit the papers today. I mean it already has; Elsa is obligated to tell them. To not remove me from my family and my wife she and her boss has pardoned me, against me not killing another person ever again. It is alright, I decided along with your grandmother this would be my last case. I want to be there for my patients, for my family for the rest of my days. _

_I am so sorry I wasn’t able to stop with this sooner, I just it was and is a part of who I am, has been since I was quite young and your grandmother took me in. I will even struggle to put it aside. I plan to go down to the station for a full disclosure a bit later today, Elsa, and her boss will be there, they will be the only ones. There will be my official and unofficial statement. What will be written in the paper is that your grandmother was behind it all, that way I can still walk free, even though I probably belongs in a jail cell where they throw away the key. I don’t blame you if you don’t want anything to do with me, if you hate me even.”_

_They looked at the children, waiting for a reaction, young Hope was the first to speak, what she said would shock them to their very core, “We know, have known for years. We took a stand on this or a vote if you like some years back.”_

_“We overheard you and then grandma talk on the phone on a few occasions some years back, using the names black dragon and black raven. Plus, we know she used to call you that. When I and Aurora came with mom to the station when the thing happened to auntie Ruby, we sneaked into the layout room. We quickly looked at the notes, we have done that more than once, not only with this case though,” said Henry. _

_“We didn’t know all the way back then after all, dragon and raven could be codenames or nicknames for anything really,” said Aurora. _

_“It was when they took grandma in on that murder charge, Rora and I started to look around online, she is really good at sneaking around you know on the dark web. We even contacted your handler some years after asking for you, learning you were already on assignment so we had to contact that person later if we wanted you. We didn’t, cause by then we puzzled it together and you were out of town right then,” said Henry._

_“We don’t care; after all the only thing that matters to us is that you are our mom,” said Hope, with a half-smile. _

_“You shouldn’t have contacted my handler though,” said Regina, feeling badly about what she put them through. _

_"We know, but we needed to know for sure,” Aurora shrugged. _

_“We will be together getting through this, we are a family, even though we are really sad that grandma had to die,” said Hope, tears in her eyes now._

_"We knew it could happen, but it doesn’t make it less sad,” Aurora whispered, looking down. _

_Regina didn’t find any words for this, neither did Emma, they just walked over to the couch and hugged them close, letting them cry. _

_“Did she die like a hero?” Henry wanted to know._

_“Yes, she did,” Regina confirmed, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. _

_“I know, but I think it was more the thought of you that kept me safe over the necklace itself,” said Regina, kissing her cheek. She loved her beyond measure, and she knew that was what had given her the strength to survive the drive with Elsa and the interrogation many years back. She didn’t expect anyone would come to Maleficent’s funeral except for them, her closest family and Vanessa. She had come to help out the day after the interrogation, Ella had called her crying. People had as expected turned their backs on them, whispering in the streets._

_ Even their children felt it, the only one that came around those days were Penny, Mulan and Roland. Come to think of it Roland’s parents had been there also, helping out, and so was Alice, Robin, Robin’s mother, that had offered food for the reception, that would be held at Ruby’s club they decided. Regina had said to the woman that was a few years older than herself that surely there would be no need as people probably wouldn’t show anyways._

_The redhead had objected and said she would take care of it; it was the least she could do after all their family had done for Alice and Robin over the years. Regina didn’t have the strength to object. It came to her surprise that when they day arrived for them to have the funeral, which was a rainy day, and she stood outside the church they attended most Sunday’s she saw a long line of police cars and motorbikes slowly appeared, only by one parked nearby and the officers came into the church. She looked at them confused, surely this had to be a mistake. The last to come inside was Elsa, Storm and Ruby, Regina looked at the older woman asking, “What is this, why are they here?”_

_“To pay the respect of an amazing woman. She might have been a killer, but to us she was family, even though some of them are struggling, Merida and I managed to convince them this is the right thing to do. We should not have done the same for many parents of people on the force. Maleficent did so much for us while she was alive, she helped whenever one of ours passed, she sent flowers, she helped hosting barbeques for us in the summers, she even talked to some of the officers that was on the wrong track._

_They came to her for guidance, Regina, she even taught them a thing or two. You two opened the house for us during Superbowl and big football games, she came with donuts, waffles and pancakes every other weekend at the squad room to make sure we ate. She was a mother to a lot of us and so they are showing her the respect she deserves. If you don’t mind, I would like to say a few words,” She finished, a sad smile on the older woman’s face. _

_“Of course, and thank you, this means so much to us, Elsa,” she whispered, hugging her. The Ice Queen hugged her back, before going inside, trying to find a seat in the now filled church. Regina looked inside from the door, seeing her brother Carlos between his mother Ella and his husband. The couple had flown out the day before the funeral and Ella would go back with them the day after. Next to Emma and the children Merida was sitting with her wife to be Ivy Maine. _

_The two had meet during a police conference earlier the same year. Ivy was working in another state, but was slowly transferring over, Regina didn’t care much for the woman, but she seemed to make Emma’s best friend and second in command happy, so she didn’t speak up about it. She saw the minister appear in front of the church and moved to sit down next to Emma, that whispered, “Are you alright?”_

_“Not in the slightest, but I have to get through this, she deserves a proper burial,” Regina managed to get out, swallowing hard. _

_The blonde didn’t say anything, Regina just, leaned against Emma, that pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She shivered lightly, having this funeral made this all so real, she was really gone. As the priest started talking her tears started flowing, her heart was truly breaking she knew, and it hurt, it felt like she couldn’t breathe, like a knife was twisted in a wound that was already raw and open. She couldn’t even stop the heavy sobs escaping her lips. She wasn’t there, the last of her parents were truly gone. She was an orphan now, and she couldn’t do anything to change it. She felt lost, even if she had Emma and the children, she felt lost, so crushed. _

_Emma didn’t say anything, knowing nothing whatever she said, could not make the pain her wife now felt sustain. She just let the arm around her hold her tighter as her wife continued to cry. After all it was her right to do so, grieve. The woman had lost her mother, the person that had cared the most for her in the years that had gone pass, even before she came into the picture. She knew that the only thing she could do was to be there for her, to let her know she wasn’t alone. So, she sat there, crying quietly, watching the children do the same._

_Regina could never quite recover from the loss of her mother, she knew it, Emma knew it, the children knew it. For a while after the funeral she wouldn’t even leave their bed, and the blonde had taken time off from work to tend to her. She slowly did recover thought, but it would take years for her to go back to the forest to hunt, it simply hurt too much Emma knew. _

“How could I, when Elsa took me away, I didn’t know if I would ever see you again, or if you could ever forgive me. Now I know I was wrong in doubting that you ever could,” she said, pressing a kiss to Emma’s lips.

“I don’t blame you for it though, after all what you did was quite something, but I never broke my promise, not even once,” said Emma, giving her a soft smile.

“I am glad that you didn’t,” said Regina, kissing her lovingly, holding her close, hearing someone random voice say, “Aww look, mama, they are in love, why aren’t you and daddy ever kissing like that.”

“Come along, Evan,” said a female voice annoyed.

“You heard that, my dear, we are in love, can you believe that?” Regina said as she broke the kiss and laughed heartfelt.

“And here I thought we were just messing about for all these years,” Emma responded laughing also, taking Regina’s hand walking through the gate.

* * *

It was later on the flight, the brunette had fallen asleep, her head resting against shoulder while she was reading and she cast a loving glance at her. She loved her she knew, so very much, even if they hadn’t had an easy life, they had at least had each other, and that made up for all the heartaches and the pain that had been thrown their way from time to time.

She started as she heard the voice from before ask, “Excuse me, ma’am?”

“Yes,” she said and looked at a young boy, with blue eyes and blonde hair. He couldn’t be more than ten tops.

“Can I ask you something?” he wondered.

“You can, and I shall try to answer to the best of my abilities?” she said and smiled at him.

“She is your wife, right?” he nodded to the sleeping brunette.

“She sure is, most amazing woman in the world at that,” said Emma in a loving tone.

“Oh, you see both of my grandparents are divorced, so I am not sued to seeing older people happy together, so I am guessing I wanted to ask, what is it like being together and not fight?” he wondered.

“Just because we are happy together, doesn’t mean we don’t fight every now and again, it isn’t always we agree, but that doesn’t mean we are going to end it. The key is to find a middle ground in between and try to solve it the best way possible, you understand?” Emma wondered, looking at him.

“Think so, it’s like when my friend Tim and I argue over which ice cream is the best, he likes chocolate and I like vanilla, so we figured that if we got vanilla with chocolate chips, we would both enjoy it and we did,” he said with a smile.

“Exactly, a marriage or relationship is like that also, it can be hard work, but in the end it is worth it. I know my life would never be the same without her,” said she in a loving tone.

“Cool, I think you look really good together as you are opposites,” he said and a smile.

“Thank you, we are not really, we are equals in every way, when you are a little bit older you will get what that means,” she said with a yawn.

“Alright, so it possible to be old and happy then?” he asked, looking towards his parents that were fighting.

“If you are lucky yes,” said Emma and smiled at him.

“Thanks, I guess if you two can do it, anyone can,” he said, going back to his seat.

Emma laughed a little shaking her head, hearing Regina say, “Are you done talking to strangers, or shall I find another seat in the meantime?”

“Oh, grumpy one you are,” Emma said in a Yoda like voice with another laughter.

“Not my fault, someone insisted on us making love all night, I do need my beauty sleep so that I can stay desirable for you, you do know,” Regina grumbled, she wasn’t really upset though.

But, darling didn’t you know I shall always find you desirable, and no matter how tired you look, I shall always find you beautiful,” Emma said in a loving tone, yawning again. 

“Sleep with me,” Regina said, kissing her cheek, then her lips.

“Always,” Emma said, returning the favor, snuggling up against her a bit better before she fell asleep. Regina watched her for a second before falling back to sleep, dreaming of the two of them together, and how much fun they would have in Paris, as they had every year since the death of her mother. She smiled in her sleep, happy because she was next to the woman she loved the most. Happy that she had her equal still after all this year, happy to be loved by someone like Emma, a hero in a rusty armor with a big heart. And so it was that the merciful assassin drifted off next to her hero as so many time before with a smile on her lips.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story, I really do appreciate it and I would love to hear your thoughts :o)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story, I would love to hear your thoughts.


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